RECONAFRICA ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT FOR JOINT EXPLORATION PROJECT IN ANGOLA ADDING 5.2 MILLION ACRES AND SIGNIFICANT RESOURCE POTENTIAL ALONG THE DAMARA FOLD BELT AND RIFT BASIN PLAYS
April 17, 2025, Calgary, Alberta, Canada – Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. (the “Company” or “ReconAfrica”) (TSXV: RECO) (OTCQX: RECAF) (Frankfurt: 0XD) (NSX: REC) announces an agreement for a joint exploration project in Angola with the Agência Nacional de Petróleo, Gás e Biocombustíveis or National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (“ANPG”).
ReconAfrica has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with ANPG for a joint exploration project in the Etosha-Okavango basin, located onshore in southeastern Angola. ANPG is Angola’s national concessionaire and regulator.
The agreement is a strategic addition to the Company’s asset portfolio, which creates an opportunity for early entry into onshore Angola at a low cost, with minimal work commitments. It complements ReconAfrica’s activities in Namibia and highlights the potential of the Damara Fold Belt and Rift Basin by adding 5.2 million acres in Angola to the existing 6.3 million acres in Namibia in the highly prospective Damara Fold Belt and Rift Basin exploration plays.
Brian Reinsborough, President and CEO of ReconAfrica stated: “The encouraging technical results from our recent Naingopo exploration well on PEL 73 onshore Namibia have strengthened our belief in the significant hydrocarbon potential of the Damara Fold Belt play. Our regional geological models indicate that the promising Fold Belt play, known for hosting some of the world’s largest fields and covering extensive areas, likely extends into Angola.
“As a result, we are excited to be entering into a strategic MOU with ANPG. Recent regulatory reforms make Angola an attractive jurisdiction for new oil and gas exploration, and we look forward to working with ANPG and Sonangol as we progress our exploration initiatives.
“This significant transaction underscores the Company’s strategic focus and complements our activities in Namibia, highlighting the potential within both the Damara Fold Belt and Rift Basin plays. It also aligns with our focus on creating significant value for our shareholders as an early mover into prospective hydrocarbon basins with significant acreage positions. We look forward to implementing our ESG and community outreach programs and creating employment for the people of the Okavango region.”
Ownership interest in the MOU Area will be ReconAfrica with an 80% working interest and Sonangol with a 20% working interest. ReconAfrica will have exclusive rights during the MOU term.
Under the terms of the MOU, ReconAfrica will initiate and coordinate geological studies, conduct a regional oil and gas seep study, and plan for a 2D seismic program, as well as perform detailed geochemical analysis and sampling of any oil and gas seeps identified within the MOU area, over a 24-month period.
Other Upcoming Projects for ReconAfrica
ReconAfrica is preparing to begin drilling on Prospect I onshore Namibia, which is located 47 kilometres (29 miles) from the MOU area in Angola and is the Company’s largest prospect to be drilled so far. It is targeting 365 million barrels of unrisked and 32 million barrels of risked prospective light/medium oil resources(1), or 1.9 trillion cubic feet of unrisked and 140 billion cubic feet of risked prospective natural gas resources(1), on a 100% working interest basis, based on the most recent prospective resources report prepared by Netherland, Sewell, & Associates, Inc. (“NSAI”), an independent qualified reserves evaluator. Prospect I is noted as location 63 in the NSAI report.
- There is no certainty that any portion of the resources will be discovered. If discovered, there is no certainty that it will be commercially viable to produce any portion of the resources. Prospective resources are those quantities of oil estimated, as of a given date, to be potentially recoverable from undiscovered accumulations by application of future development projects. Prospective resources have both an associated chance of discovery and a chance of development. Prospective resources are the arithmetic sum of multiple probability distributions. Unrisked prospective resources are estimates of the volumes that could reasonably be expected to be recovered in the event of the discovery and development of these prospects.
Map of MOU Area
DRILLING SCHEMATIC – PROSPECT I
PROSPECT I ATTRIBUTES
About ReconAfrica
ReconAfrica is a Canadian oil and gas company engaged in the exploration of the Damara Fold Belt and Kavango Rift Basin in the Kalahari Desert of northeastern Namibia, southeastern Angola, and northwestern Botswana, where the Company holds rights to petroleum licences comprising over 13 million acres. The Company will be drilling its next well, Prospect I which is located onshore Namibia in Petroleum Exploration Licence 073 (“PEL 73”). This will be the Company’s largest exploration prospect drilled so far. In all aspects of its operations, ReconAfrica is committed to minimal disturbance of habitat in line with international standards and implementing environmental and social best practices in all of its project areas.
Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
For further information contact:
Brian Reinsborough, President and Chief Executive Officer | Tel: +1-877-631-1160
Grayson Andersen, Vice President Investor Relations | Tel: +1-877-631-1160
IR Inquiries Email: investors@reconafrica.com
Media Inquiries Email: media@reconafrica.com
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:
Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information under applicable Canadian, United States and other applicable securities laws, rules and regulations, including, without limitation, statements with respect to the potential of the Damara Fold Belt and Rift Basin plays into Angola and Namibia, activities outlined by the MOU, the negotiation of an exploration licence in Angola, the activities proposed under the successful negotiation of an exploration licence, statements with respect to the timing of the drilling of Prospect I, the potential of the Damara Fold Belt, the drilling depth of Prospect I, the Company’s commitment to minimal disturbance of habitat, in line with best international standards and its implementation of environmental and social best practices in all of its project areas. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on ReconAfrica's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as the Company's actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of the factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section in the Company's annual information form dated July 29, 2024, available under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Actual future results may differ materially. Various assumptions or factors are typically applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking information. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to ReconAfrica. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and ReconAfrica undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein.
Disclosure of Oil and Gas Information:
The report of Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc. (“NSAI”), an independent qualified reserves evaluator, entitled “Estimates of Prospective Resources to the Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. Interests in Certain Prospects and Leads located in PEL 73, Kavango Basin, Namibia as of March 31, 2024” (the “NSAI Report”) and the prospective resource estimates contained therein and in this press release were prepared by NSAI, an independent qualified reserves evaluator, with an effective date of March 31, 2024. The NSAI Report was prepared in accordance with the definitions and guidelines of the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook (the “COGE Handbook”) prepared by the Society of Petroleum Evaluation Engineers (“SPEE”) and National Instrument 51-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities (“NI 51-101”). For additional information concerning the risks and the level of uncertainty associated with recovery of the prospective resources detailed herein and in the NSAI Report, the significant positive and negative factors relevant to the prospective resources estimates detailed herein and in the NSAI Report and a description of the project to which the prospective resources estimates detailed herein and in the NSAI Report applies are contained within the NSAI Report, a copy of which has been filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and is available under the Company’s issued profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The NSAI Report was filed on SEDAR+ on July 29, 2024 under the “Other” document type.
The prospective resources shown in the NSAI Report have been estimated using probabilistic methods and are dependent on a petroleum discovery being made. If a discovery is made and development is undertaken, the probability that the recoverable volumes will equal or exceed the unrisked estimated amounts is 90 percent for the low estimate, 50 percent for the best estimate, and 10 percent for the high estimate. Low estimate and high estimate prospective resources have not been included in the NSAI Report. For the purposes of the NSAI Report, the volumes and parameters associated with the best estimate scenario of prospective resources are referred to as 2U. The 2U prospective resources have been aggregated beyond the prospect and lead level by arithmetic summation; therefore, these totals do not include the portfolio effect that might result from statistical aggregation. Statistical principles indicate that the arithmetic sums of multiple estimates may be misleading as to the volumes that may actually be recovered.