Oil and Gas Industry Should Host African Energy Week To Outline Agenda for Support of Our Oil and Gas Industry ahead of COP26
Africa Oil Week’s move to Dubai, and away from its home in Cape Town, is wrong, short-term in its thinking, and sends a negative message about Africa. The move underestimates our preparedness to host events that define our future economic and energy sector success. Imagine the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament being hosted in Dubai because one company says Africa is not the right place anymore because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Africa Oil Week was always seen as a crucial gathering for African NOC’s and international IOC’s to interact as well as a forum for African governments to discuss policy decisions and seek contributions from the oil and gas industry. In 2021, this particular conference would be taking place at a crucial time, when the debate about net zero gas emissions by 2050 is threatening the future economic developments of several African countries.
This year’s Africa Oil Week was expected to amongst other very relevant matters, allow Africans and its energy sector to craft a narrative for COP 26 that takes into account the developmental and poverty reduction objectives of our oil and gas producing and non-producing countries. We can’t give up in Africa. We should build our own platform with Africa Energy Week in October.
“I am deeply concerned about the decision to move the Africa Oil Week to Dubai under the guise of protecting participants from COVID-19 contaminations in Cape Town. Their excuses and final decision to move are both unacceptable and wrong. It sends a message that when things are hard because of COVID-19, Africa should be abandoned for other locations irrespective of the loyalty and the sponsorship Africa has shown for more than two decades,” stated Florival Mucave, President of the Mozambique Oil & Gas Chamber.