The new Minister of Hydrocarbons of the Republic of Congo, H.E. Stev Simplice Onanga granted this Friday, May 15, 2026, an audience to the SG of APPO in Brazzaville (Congo) to his Cabinet. Accompanied by a strong delegation from the Secretariat, the SG H.E. Farid Ghezali took the opportunity to present his congratulations to His Excellency the Minister and receive his orientations following his appointment as head of the Ministry.
H.E. Simplice Onanga takes over the chair of Minister of Hydrocarbons of the Republic of Congo. A few days after this important transfer, the APPO SG made the trip for his Cabinet to Brazzaville. Marked by cordiality, the exchanges focused in particular on the Africa Energy Bank (AEB). In his presentation, the SG indicated that the minimum capital required from APPO Member Countries has now been reached, which allows the Organization and its partner in this project, Afreximbank, to trigger the rest of the procedure for an imminent launch of the Bank at the end of this semester. Countries that have already made capital payments are Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria. The Minister welcomed this, just as he welcomed the intention shown by Algeria and Egypt through formal letters for the payment of their shares. He noted that he was closely following the process, the next steps of which included the recruitment of the President of the Bank as well as the appointment of the Executive Directors.
Regarding cooperation between the National Oil Companies, H.E. Simplice Onanga reiterated the commitment of his country, the Republic of Congo, to continue to support the work and initiatives of the NOCs CEO Forum, in which the SNPC, the National Hydrocarbons Company of Congo, plays a very active role. He welcomed the upcoming meeting of this Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, in October 2026, on the sidelines of the African Energy Week (AEW). He congratulated the Secretariat for the latest initiatives being implemented, concerning the establishment of platforms to boost cooperation in the various areas of interest: promotion of Local Content, training, research and development, noting that these platforms are important tools to help visibility and cooperation between Member Countries. He also invited the Secretariat to take a closer look at the National Private Oil Companies in order to create a framework for consultation among them like the NOCs.
The Minister also expressed his commitment to do everything possible for the finalization and official handover of the keys to the APPO headquarters as soon as possible. The meeting ended on a positive note, with discussions on preparations for the next summit of APPO Heads of State to be held in Brazzaville before the end of this year.
