The West Africa Energy Summit took place last week at the Accra International Conference Centre in the esteemed Member Country, Ghana. Organized by OGV Group in partnership with the Ministry of Energy, the Ghana Petroleum Commission and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, the summit was attended by eminent personalities, including the Secretary General of APPO, His Excellency Omar Farouk Ibrahim.
The West Africa Energy Summit, which was held from 3 to 5 September 2024, was a key moment of discussion and exchange around the future of the energy sector in West African countries. Important highlights marked the opening ceremony of this important summit. It was first the CEO of the GNPC, Mr. Joseph Abuabu Dadzie, who had the honor of welcoming the various delegations from West African countries and other countries on and outside the African continent. He highlighted the many challenges facing the energy sector in the sub-region, and welcomed the holding of the Summit whose objective is to discuss these important issues. In turn, the Secretary of State for Energy of Ghana, Hon. John Kobina Sanie delivered a speech in which he welcomed the holding of the Summit, before inviting the participants to make rich contributions, so that the conclusions of the Summit can induce a qualitative evolution for the energy industry in the sub-region. He then officially declared the work of the Summit open.
Unlocking Africa’s Potential
The opening ceremony was marked by a Fireside Chat on the theme “Unlocking Africa’s Potential: The Monetization of Oil and Gas for Industrialization and Socio-Economic Development”. Moderated by Mr. Pranav Joshi, Vice President – Upstream, Rystad Energy, the session featured H.E. Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, Secretary General of APPO and Mr. Rashid Ali Abdallah, Executive Director of AFREC. As a member of this high-level panel, the SG of APPO, H.E. Omar Farouk Ibrahim presented the actions and position of the APPO on the subject under discussion. His speeches, which were greeted with loud applause from the audience, highlighted the various changes that the Organization has undergone since its creation in 1987, as well as the various solutions proposed to meet the challenge of unlocking Africa’s potential. Thus, he indicated that in response to the challenges posed by the Energy Transition, APPO has conducted a study that has highlighted the challenges facing Africa. These are the challenges of financing, infrastructure and markets. The SG said that it is not up to the same people who led humanity to the current ecological catastrophe to impose their agenda on Africa. Also, he added that Africa must be able to give itself the means to continue the exploitation of its natural resources, especially oil and gas, to lift its 600 million energy-insecure population out of poverty. Noting the progress made by the APPO, he spoke among others about the ongoing establishment of an Africa Energy Bank, the project to create centers of excellence for training and research in Africa, as well as the pipeline projects underway in some regions of Africa. He concluded by saying that it is only through a synergy of actions and means that Africa can effectively unlock its potential to industrialize and develop.
Africa’s Energy Sovereignty
The opening ceremony concluded with the inaugural address by the Former President of Nigeria His Excellency Olusegun Obasanjo, on the theme “Energy Sovereignty of Africa”. He noted that while the world benefits from the historic extraction of African resources for industrialization, Africa itself has yet to benefit from its vast endowment of natural resources. While many countries are rushing to net zero after benefiting from the continent’s resources, Africa remains a low carbon emitter, accounting for 3% of global emissions. His Excellency Olusegun Obasanjo then presented his views on why Africa can and will continue to harness fossil fuels for its economic development and energy security needs. The opening ceremony concluded with an awards session, including to former Presidents, Their Excellencies John Agyekum Kufuor of Ghana and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria. The Summit was a real meeting of exchange, with rich and lively panels, an exhibition in the colors of major companies and organizations in the energy sector in West Africa. It concluded with a day of networking golf that offered participants an opportunity to network in a relaxed atmosphere.
