The Angolan continental shelf is one of the largest contributors to Equinor's oil production outside Norway. Equinor entered the Angolan market in 1991. The company is currently producing from three blocks.
In 2016, released documentation caused corruption experts to sound the alarm. The documentation showed that international oil companies were to pay an amount equivalent to several billion kroner in funding to a research centre. The problem was that the centre did not exist, and there was no sign of any real plans to build it. Equinor had transferred 420 million kroner to the research centre and 295 million kroner to non-specific social projects, without the right to access the use of the money. The payments were part of a license award in 2011. The money was to be transferred to Sonangol in annual contributions. In February 2022, the matter came before the Storting after the Control and Constitution Committee had submitted a recommendation. There, Equinor recognized that they would not enter into such agreements today but insisted that the payments to Angola were legal. According to Industriminne, Equinor still does not know where the money has gone.