KEY POINTS
- Chevron appoints Emmanuelle Garinet as Director of Exploration for Sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas, strengthening its discovery strategy.
- Her leadership is expected to boost investment in Africa’s frontier basins and accelerate exploration across Namibia, Nigeria, and Angola.
- Chevron’s portfolio expansion in the Americas complements African operations, including projects in the U.S., Guyana, and Argentina, supporting long-term production growth.
Chevron has appointed Emmanuelle Garinet as Director of Exploration for the Americas and Sub-Saharan Africa, placing one of the upstream oil sector’s most experienced exploration leaders in a strategic position to guide discovery efforts across two of the world’s most significant hydrocarbon regions.
The African Energy Chamber (AEC), a leading voice for the continent’s energy industry, welcomed Garinet’s appointment, highlighting that her decades of experience in African exploration could catalyze new investment in frontier basins, accelerate geological understanding, and strengthen collaboration between operators and host governments
Chevron’s African operations are entering a phase of exploration-led growth. In Namibia, the company is evaluating prospects in the Walvis Basin, planning a new exploration well in PEL 82 between 2026 and 2027 following earlier successful drilling in the Orange Basin, including the Venus deepwater discovery.
In West Africa, Chevron is expanding its deepwater presence in Nigeria after acquiring a 40% stake from in offshore licenses PPL 2000 and PPL 2001. A drilling rig is expected to commence operations in late 2026 near the Agbami field as part of a broader deepwater strategy.
Angola continues to be a key hub for Chevron. In December 2025, the South N’dola platform in Block 0 began producing roughly 25,000 barrels of oil per day. Gas from the project is directed to the Angola LNG plant, supporting the country’s gas monetization strategy while reducing flaring.
Americas Portfolio Provides Additional Growth
Garinet will also oversee Chevron’s Americas portfolio, which includes expanded production in the U.S. Permian Basin, deepwater developments in the Gulf of Mexico, and operations in South America. Notably, Chevron’s position in Guyana’s Stabroek Block and Argentina’s Vaca Muerta formation positions the company for continued offshore and unconventional production growth.
Garinet’s career spans more than three decades in exploration geology and upstream leadership, including senior roles in Nigeria, Gabon, and South America. Her work at TotalEnergies involved major transformations, and she led the exploration team behind Namibia’s Venus deepwater discovery, now moving toward a final investment decision in 2026.
NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC, emphasized Garinet’s technical expertise and African experience as critical for unlocking new resources and attracting global investment. Garinet has also been a vocal advocate for African energy development, highlighting frontier exploration, advanced seismic data, and efficient permitting systems as key to the continent’s energy growth.
