The African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) launched on January 27, 2023 the Forum of Ambassadors of its Member Countries in Brazzaville as part of events in the context of the celebration of its 36th anniversary of creation.
Explaining the purpose of the Forum, APPO’s Secretary General, His Excellency Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim said that it was created to provide a platform to regularly brief the representatives of the sovereign APPO Member Countries in APPO’s Headquarters of Congo Brazzaville on APPO’s activities as well as seek their advice on the best way to manage the complexity of International Energy policies especially in the period of global energy.
He further explained that this will allow APPO Member Countries to articulate a common position on the global energy transition as well as promote and disseminate the position in their respective countries.
On energy transition, the Secretary General stressed that while APPO not again the global trend, it questions the push by developed countries for African countries, who rely heavily on revenues from fossil fuels, to abandon fossil fuels in favor of renewable energies. APPO’s position, he said is that African countries who depend on fossil fuels export to provide security, education, healthcare, workers’ wages and many other necessities for their citizens should be allowed to transit in a way that does not shut down their source of revenue.
HE Dr Ibrahim listed the challenges being faced by African countries which are funding, markets and infrastructure, human capital development and technology. He further enumerated efforts which are being made by APPO to overcome these challenges to include the Central Africa Pipeline System and Trans Sahara Gas Projects for Energy infrastructure for regional markets; the establishment of Centres of Excellence for human capital development and the African Energy Bank for Oil and Gas projects financing.
HE Christophe MUZUNGU, Ambassador of DR Congo, and Dean of the diplomatic corps in Congo Brazzaville stated that Africa must speak the same language. He emphasized that Europe needs gas, and Africa has enough of it. The Ambassadors unanimously welcomed the initiative and the holding of the first edition of the Forum of Ambassadors of the Member Countries of APPO and promised to meet again to follow through on discussions.
