The African Development Bank (AfDB), through its African Legal Support Facility (ALSF) and the National Petroleum and Gas Commission, has selected the Centurion Law Group to build capacity in South Sudan’s oil and gas sector
The project is a result of the ALSF’s commitment to foster legal and technical best practices and transparency across South Sudan’s oil and gas value chain. It will focus on providing specialised capacity building training to officials from the National Petroleum and Gas Commission, including the development of best practice procedures for the negotiation, evaluation and monitoring of contracts in the oil and gas sector.
Nj Ayuk, CEO of the Centurion Law Group, said, “Local content development and domestic capacity building is at the core of everything we do as a firm. We take this project as a unique opportunity to contribute to the development of South Sudan and Africa’s oil industry in general.”
As South Sudan continues to increase oil production and attract foreign investment into its oil and gas sector, this project is set to enhance the National Petroleum and Gas Commission’s ability to fully exercise its functions as a regulator and a facilitator in the oil sector.
As per the South Sudan Petroleum Act of 2012, the National Petroleum and Gas Commission notably provides general policy direction with respect to petroleum resources, acts as a supervisory body in matters relating to petroleum resource management, approves all petroleum agreements on behalf of the Government and ensures that they are consistent with the Act.
The project will focus on reviewing South Sudan’s existing legal and fiscal framework and ensure the transfer of skills and know-how to the government’s representatives and experts.
Glenda Irvine-Smith, director of business development and international relations at Centurion Law Group, who will coordinate the project on behalf of the company, noted, “South Sudan is East Africa’s most mature petroleum province with the potential to double its current output of more than 150,000 barrels per day in the next five years.”
