AFR.L Regulatory News (AFR)

Afren plc (AFR LN)

Board Appointment

London, 2 February 2012

Afren plc ("Afren" or the "Company") announces the appointment of Mr Patrick Obath as a Non-executive Director of the Company. Mr Obath, an East African national, is a senior energy industry practitioner, having held a number of senior management positions in a career spanning over 36 years, including 20 years with Shell International, Shell Kenya, Shell Tanzania and Shell Oil Products Africa ("Shell"). Mr Obath's tenure at Shell included Engineering Management across the Shell Group refineries, implementing and leading the Corporate Health, Safety and Environmental Management for Shell Eastern Africa covering 14 African countries, managing the network for product receipt storage and distribution in the Shell Eastern Africa Area (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Mauritius, Madagascar, Eritrea, Sudan and Djibouti) and Chief Executive of Kenya Shell and Shell Tanzania.

Mr Obath currently also serves as Chairman of PZ Cussons EA Limited and is a non-executive Director at Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Limited and Kenya Power and Lighting Company Limited. Mr Obath has a B.Sc. (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nottingham. He is Chairman of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance and has received a number of East African Honorary recognitions, including the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW) by H.E. the President of the Republic of Kenya, the National Peace Award, Kenya, and the Order of the Moran of the Burning Spear (MBS) by H.E. the President of the Republic of Kenya.

The Company confirms that there are no disclosures required under paragraphs 9.6.13 (2) to (6) of the Listing Rules of the UK Listing Authority

Egbert Imomoh, Chairman of Afren, commented:

"On behalf of the Directors of Afren, I am delighted to welcome Patrick Obath to the Board. Mr Obath has an outstanding industry track record, particularly in leading Corporate Health, Safety and Environmental Management, combined with significant East African experience that will prove invaluable as we move into an active operational phase across our exploration portfolio in Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Ethiopia and Seychelles."

Notes to Editors

Afren is an independent upstream oil and gas exploration and production company listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange and constituent of the Financial Times Stock Exchange Index of the leading 250 UK listed companies. Afren has a portfolio of 29 assets across 12 countries spanning the full cycle E&P value chain. Afren is currently producing from its assets offshore Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire and holds further interests in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Congo Brazzaville, the Joint Development Zone of Nigeria - São Tomé & Príncipe, Kenya, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Seychelles, Tanzania and South Africa. For more information please refer to www.afren.com