Sierra Leone Telegraph: On September 8, 2026, Aurion Capital Holdings, an American investment holding group with offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gabonese Republic and the Société d’Énergie et d’Eau du Gabon (SEEG), Gabon’s national water and electricity utility, for the development of Panthera Power, a natural gas-fired power generation program in Greater Libreville.
The program is part of Aurion Capital’s industrial and energy infrastructure arm, which operates out of the United Arab Emirates, with planned expansions in Qatar and in West Virginia, where the group supports large-scale technology and industrial investments.
The MoU was signed by Mr. Philippe Tonangoye, Minister of Universal Access to Water and Energy, on behalf of the Gabonese Republic; by Mr. Steeve Saurel Legnongo, Managing Director, on behalf of SEEG; and by Mr. Ali Diallo, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, on behalf of Aurion Capital Holdings.
The program covers 150 to 450 MW of capacity, combining gas-to-power plants with the gas supply, transmission and distribution infrastructure they require.
Designed as an integrated platform rather than a stand-alone power plant, it aims to meet growing household demand and to support the development of local industrial processing, which depends on access to competitively priced energy.
The program is being developed and financed by Aurion Capital Holdings and its partners, with no financial commitment from the State. Total financing for the program is expected to exceed $1 billion.
The program is aligned with the National Energy Compact published in June 2026 under the Mission 300 initiative, which sets a target of 1,100 MW of installed capacity by 2030 and an investment requirement of $4.169 billion over the 2026–2030 period, of which $2 billion is expected to come from the private sector.
The program also builds on Gabon’s deepening economic ties with the United States and the United Arab Emirates, the two markets from which Aurion Capital Holdings operates.
On February 6, 2026, Gabon and the UAE signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in Abu Dhabi, aimed at reducing trade barriers and facilitating investment in sectors including logistics and renewable energy.
Bilateral non-oil trade between the two countries exceeded $320 million in 2025, more than double its 2021 level. Trade between Gabon and the United States reached nearly $750 million in goods in 2025, and in July 2025 President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema was among five African heads of state received at the White House for talks cantered on trade and investment.
Aurion Capital Holdings is acting as sponsor of the program. The Group is leading its development and financial structuring, assembling the industrial and financial consortium, and conducting the feasibility, technical, and environmental and social impact studies.
The pre-feasibility study has been entrusted to Global Infrastructure Advisors (GIA), an independent London-based firm specializing in the development and financing of infrastructure projects in emerging markets, whose track record includes West African Energy’s 300 MW gas-fired power plant in Senegal.
SEEG has been identified as the prospective offtaker of the electricity generated and as the program’s technical counterpart for the grid, interconnection, power evacuation and operating conditions.
Ali Diallo, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aurion Capital, said: “Gabon is the starting point of Aurion Capital’s ambitions in Africa. We are bringing here what we have built elsewhere: a proven track record in investment fund management and public-private partnerships in the United States, and a footprint in the Gulf and Asia that gives us access to private, sovereign and industrial capital. Energy is the foundation of the continent’s sustainable development: without reliable and competitive power generation, no industrialization can take hold.”
A steering committee comprising SEEG and Aurion Capital Holdings will oversee the studies, whose conclusions will be submitted for joint approval by the State and SEEG before negotiations on the definitive agreements begin.
Souleymane Diallo, President, Africa, of Aurion Capital, added: “Gabon has the gas resources and the political will needed to transform its electricity supply. Aurion Capital is committed as sponsor of an integrated program, from upstream gas through to distribution. We are also assessing other investment opportunities in energy, mining and infrastructure across several African countries.”
About Aurion Capital Holdings
Aurion Capital is a U.S. investment holding company active in venture capital, public-private partnerships, innovation and strategic industries such as energy, critical minerals and infrastructure.
An investment partner to the governments of Qatar and the United States and to LG Electronics, the group operates on four continents through its subsidiaries and its regulated investment funds in the United States and in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). With two regional headquarters in Silicon Valley and in Dubai, near the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), and business offices in Phoenix, Seoul and Doha, the group supports emerging economies and is expanding into French-speaking markets, with representative offices in France, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire.
Aurion Capital combines institutional capital management, strategic alliances, company building and sovereign partnerships to connect capital, technology, industrial players and international markets. Its platforms span technology, media and telecommunications (TMT), financial services, healthcare, sports and entertainment, agribusiness, minerals, and power generation.
Aurion Capital has a portfolio of funds representing more than $300 million in assets under management, and industrial projects underway valued at $2 billion. Aurion Capital is the parent company of NovaWave Capital, a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm with $100 million in assets under management, backed by LG Electronics and by government partners in West Virginia, Arizona and Nevada. Aurion Capital is also the shareholder and General Partner of BYL Ventures, a Los Angeles-based venture capital fund with $70 million in assets under management.
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