Frontier explorer Invictus Energy is locked in talks with an array of oil and gas players eager to buy exposure to the huge hydrocarbon potential of Zimbabwe’s Cabora Bassa basin where a two-well wildcatting campaign is set to start in June.

The Ukraine crisis, a lack of upstream investment and the world’s post-Covid economic recovery have combined to cause a spike in oil and gas prices, with investors keen to gain exposure to E&P players, including pure exploration vehicles such as Australia-listed Invictus.