The Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization, APPO, Omar Farouk Ibrahim, wants African Oil and Gas producers to continue to deepen cooperations and collaborations in order to grow the industry, particularly in this era of energy transition.
Delivering a keynote address at the 3rd Biennial International Conference on Hydrocarbon Science and Technology, which held on Monday in Abuja, Ibrahim said the oil and gas industry has a future in Africa, but industry players must abandon the traditional ways of doing things since Nigeria’s independence in 1960.
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“The final challenge is to create markets for the oil and gas we produce. We have been made to believe that we are too poor to buy energy. So over 70 percent of the oil we produce daily is exported to those who are rich to buy it. Over 40 percent of the gas we produce is also exported outside Africa. Yet, our continent has the largest proportion of its people living in energy poverty, with over 600 million of its population living without access to electricity and 0ver 900 million without access to any form of modern energy for cooking or other domestic use.
What we have failed to realize is that until we are able to energize the hundreds of millions living without energy, our quest for poverty alleviation shall remain a mirage. Energy is the biggest catalyst for economic transformation. Empower the people to access energy, not just to light their homes but also to create cottage industries and you will be shocked at the multiplier effect”
Other speakers called for robust policies to address the challenges in the Sector.
The theme of the Conference is, “Future of the Oil and Gas Industry: Opportunities, Challenges and Development.”
Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe
