Malabo to host OPEC and 20 African oil and gas ministers

The President of Equatorial Guinea, the Secretary General of OPEC and 20 African oil and gas ministers will headline Africa’s most influential gathering for the energy industry.

The African Petroleum Producers Organization’s (APPO) Cape VII Congress and Exhibition on April 2-5 in Malabo is set to bring together top oil and gas executives and the continent’s leading energy ministers, as well as international policy leaders.

In a press statement, APPO said the event will focus on policy reforms, Africa’s influence in energy geopolitics and increasing cooperation amongst African countries.

In all, the conference will bring together more than 20 African governments, more than a dozen national oil companies and over 50 exhibitors and sponsors. President of the African Petroleum Producers Organization and Minister of State for Petroleum, Nigeria, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu will present on the foundational reforms of APPO, and the organization’s aim to create a strong unifier of African oil producers on the international stage.

New discoveries throughout Africa, from Mozambique and Namibia to Senegal and Mauritania, have sparked fresh interest in exploration and production throughout Africa and mean APPO is set to welcome new producers into the fold.

Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo, Secretary General of OPEC; Dr Sun Xiansheng, Secretary General of the International Energy Forum and Yury Sentyurin, Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) are all expected to speak at APPO CAPE VII. With Africa taking a more prominent role in OPEC discussions following the entry of Equatorial Guinea to the group of oil producers in 2017, APPO CAPE VII will set the agenda for African producers interactions with global producers and markets in 2019 and beyond.

President of Equatorial Guinea,Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima, Minister of Mines of Hydrocarbons, will be presenting on Equatorial Guinea’s Year of Energy in 2019. The small country in the Gulf of Guinea has taken a leading role on the international stage by joining OPEC, assisting in stabilizing the market and leading efforts for pan-African cooperation in the oil and gas sector.

The LNG2Africa initiative, for example, will focus on monetizing domestic gas, building up regional infrastructure and exporting gas from Africa to Africa. The Year of Energy 2019 celebrates regional cooperation in Africa and is centered on a series of events taking place in Malabo throughout the year.

Key African ministers including Tarek El-Molla, Minister of Petroleum, Egypt; Jeff Radebe, Minister of Energy, South Africa; Pascal Houangni Ambouroué, Minister of Petroleum and Hydrocarbons, Gabon; and Abdourahmane Cissé, Minister of Petroleum, Energy and the Development of Renewable Energy, Côte d’Ivoire are set to address issues of oil and gas infrastructure and regional cooperation at APPO CAPE VII.