In a bold move to cement its position as Africa’s energy powerhouse, Sahara Group has unveiled an ambitious plan to triple its upstream crude oil production to 350,000 barrels per day within the next five years, backed by the acquisition of seven brand-new oil rigs.
Leste Aihevba, Chief Technical Officer at Asharami Energy, a Sahara Group Upstream Company, revealed that this transformative expansion will be driven by major upgrades to exploration and production services, enhanced execution capacity, and cutting-edge rig technology designed to accelerate production efficiency.
The energy conglomerate has already begun deploying its new fleet, with two rigs currently operational in Nigeria and two more expected to arrive before year-end. The state-of-the-art 2000 HP Land rig, named L-Buba, has already commenced operations, successfully spudding a gas development well in one of Sahara’s fields. A second rig is being mobilized to drill an oil development well, with additional rigs set to follow.
The strategic acquisition aims to boost production to at least 350,000 barrels per day of oil and 1,000,000 MMScf/d of gas in Nigeria within five years. The rigs will be managed by Arahas Global Oilfield Services, a Sahara Group company, ensuring seamless integration with the company’s existing operations. Aihevba emphasized that the massive infrastructure drive represents more than just equipment acquisition. The company is matching its investments with exceptional human capital development, cross-border partnerships, and localization of global technical expertise to ensure host communities and government partners benefit from the expansion.
Nigeria’s crude oil production landscape provides a favorable backdrop for Sahara’s expansion. In August 2025, the country’s production grew by 5.5 percent year-on-year, averaging 1.43 million barrels per day compared to 1.36 million bpd in the same period last year, according to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission. The nation achieved 96 percent of its OPEC production quota of 1.5 million bpd. In a related development, Sahara Group announced in September that its Afam 2 Power Plant in Rivers State is now generating 160 megawatts of electricity into Nigeria’s national grid, demonstrating the conglomerate’s integrated approach to energy development across the full value chain.
Source: nairametrics.com