The secretary general of the African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO) has called for action to reform Africa’s energy sector
APPO members will meet in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea for the Cape VII Exhibition and Conference from 1-5 April 2019. The new APPO reforms aim to increase the organisation’s influence on the international stage.
The reforms will include prioritising intra-African trade, creating economic diversification through the energy sector and calling for increased cooperation among Africa’s oil producing and non-oil producing countries to strengthen Africa’s position on the global stage.
Mahaman Laouan Gaya, secretary general of APPO in an interview with Africa Oil and Power, said, “The instability of commodity prices in general and oil in particular again reveals the short-term nature of our development policies and the weakness of the strategies of stabilisation and diversification of economies that would lead to sustainable development if properly implemented.”
“The strategy is to learn to deal with the changes in the oil market through a strong vision and good economic governance in general and good economic governance of petroleum resources in particular,” he added.
Gaya aims to encourage more synergy within Africa’s APPO’s 18 member countries (out of 20 oil producers on the continent) as well as the additional 30 African countries that are exploring for oil and gas reserves.
"In the new APPO Statutes, it is stipulated that any African country with proven hydrocarbon reserves (not necessarily in the production phase) may be a full member of the organisation. Our current concern is, therefore, to assist African countries in creating more synergies in their oil and gas industries,” he explained.
“This is what will strengthen Africa’s influence in world markets and enable it to better meet its own energy needs. The hydrocarbons potential is there and, in the years to come, believe me, Africa will bring some big surprises in the oil and gas sector,” he stated.
“Emphasis in reform will be placed on close coordination and new synergy between member countries. This reform will focus on creating a united African front on the global energy stage – which will certainly increase the power of the African voice – and on increase intra-African cooperation on projects, trans-border infrastructure, joint refineries and other major infrastructure projects,” Gaya concluded.
