The award of a well services contract to SLB for Invictus Energy’s Musuma-1 exploration well marks another step toward unlocking Zimbabwe’s largely unexplored oil and gas potential, with drilling now on track to begin in November 2026.
The agreement was formalized at the Angola Oil & Gas 2026 Conference, with African Energy Chamber (AEC) Executive Chairman NJ Ayuk joining Invictus Energy Managing Director Scott Macmillan and SLB Managing Director for Central, East Africa and Southern Africa Miguel Baptista at the signing ceremony. The partnership brings one of the world’s leading oilfield services companies into a campaign that could help build technical capacity, create opportunities for Zimbabwean workers and businesses, and support the development of a wider domestic oil and gas services industry.
SLB has been selected to provide specialized well services, technology and operational resources for the campaign at the Cabora Bassa Project in northern Zimbabwe. The award comes as construction of the Musuma-1 wellpad, access roads and supporting civil infrastructure advances, while Exalo S.A. has begun maintenance and readiness work on Rig 202 ahead of its planned mobilization to the site.
For the Chamber, the development highlights the importance of continued exploration in markets where domestic energy resources could reduce dependence on imported fuels and support industrial growth. It also demonstrates how major exploration campaigns can create value beyond the well itself, through local contracting, workforce development and the transfer of technical expertise.
“Zimbabwe has an opportunity to turn exploration success into a new domestic energy story, but that starts with drilling, proving resources and building the infrastructure needed to bring gas to market,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC. “SLB brings a world-class team to a world-class asset, and their involvement will go beyond the drilling campaign. There is an opportunity to train Zimbabwean citizens for the jobs that will come, create contract opportunities for local businesses and build the capabilities that Zimbabwe’s oil and gas industry will need.”
The Chamber also commends Invictus for its continued commitment to promoting Zimbabwe as an investment destination. “We are pleased with the resolve of Invictus. They have not just driven this project; they have championed Zimbabwe as a nation. They are true patriots, and they continue to pitch Zimbabwe’s oil and gas story to investors globally,” said Ayuk.
Musuma-1 will be the first exploration well drilled outside the Mukuyu Gas Field within Invictus’ Cabora Bassa acreage, providing an important test of the basin’s wider resource potential. The Musuma prospect is estimated to contain approximately 1.2 trillion cubic feet of gas and 73 million barrels of condensate on a gross mean unrisked prospective resource basis. These estimates are prospective rather than reserves, meaning further drilling is required to establish whether the resources are present and commercially recoverable.
The campaign builds on the Mukuyu discovery, where Invictus identified multiple gas-bearing reservoirs during its 2023 drilling program. The company has since identified additional prospects across its approximately 360,000-hectare Cabora Bassa position, strengthening the case for continued exploration and appraisal.
The significance of Cabora Bassa extends beyond the exploration well itself. Zimbabwe remains heavily dependent on imported petroleum products, while the country continues to face electricity-supply challenges. Government data indicates that Zimbabwe imports all of its petroleum fuel requirements, while regional power imports are also used to supplement domestic generation.
As a result, Invictus is pursuing several potential commercialization routes for Cabora Bassa, including gas-to-power and industrial gas supply. The company has previously outlined a pilot gas-to-power project targeting the nearby Eureka Gold Mine, as well as longer-term plans to supply energy to industrial and resource-sector users and potentially connect into the Southern African Power Pool.
Success at Musuma would not by itself establish commercial production, but it could expand the resource base available for these development pathways and provide further evidence that the Cabora Bassa Basin can support a domestic gas industry. It could also create a larger platform for Zimbabwean companies and workers to participate in the value chain as exploration moves toward appraisal, development and potential production.
With SLB services secured, Rig 202 undergoing preparation and wellpad construction progressing, the focus now turns to execution. For Zimbabwe and the wider Southern African energy market, the November drilling campaign represents not only a test of the Cabora Bassa resource, but of the country’s ability to build a broader energy industry around its own natural resources – supported by international expertise, local talent and investment.
