Angola and Nigeria are two countries with increased responsibilities in ensuring a sustainable energy transition in Africa, said this Saturday (22), the Nigerian ambassador accredited in Luanda, Monique Ekpong, during the 1st African Summit on Energy, Oil and Gas.
The diplomat supported the statement by mentioning that the two countries have large reserves of crude oil and natural gas which, if properly used, can allow the economic development of both countries and the region. Monique Ekpong underlined the fact that, in recent times, there has been greater collaboration between Sonangol and NPC, in the field of technological exchange, as well as a circulation of Angolan and Nigerian staff at the service of companies such as British Petroleum (BP) that operate in the two countries. “I am very pleased to have noticed that today there is a strong exchange in the field of the oil industry, so much so that this month the Embassy issued a considerable number of visas for Sonangol employees who went on a mission to Nigeria. two states are already working together”, said the diplomat, defending, however, that it is necessary to extend this relationship to other airlines. The ambassador valued the initiative of the organization of the 1st African International Summit on Energy, Oil and Gas, which she considers to be a platform for issues related to the energy transition process underway in the world to be analyzed bilaterally.
This form of action, he said, is crucial to prevent situations that jeopardize the continent’s economic growth. The diplomat acknowledged that trade between the two countries still register negligible numbers, at a time when important steps are being taken in technology sharing programs in the petrochemical sector and investments are being explored in the agriculture and tourist exchange sectors.
Strategic forum
The use of energy resources available in African countries for a sustainable energy transition was the main theme of the 1st African Summit on Energy, Oil and Gas, held yesterday in Luanda by the African Peace Magazine, in partnership with the Chamber of Trade and Industry of Angola and Nigeria (CCIAN). Under the motto “Taking the Potential for an Inclusive Energy Transition for a Sustainable Future”, the event brought together a considerable number of companies operating in the Oil & Gas sector in Nigeria and Angola. for the continent’s economic development and safeguarding the well-being of future generations. The meeting, with institutional support from the Investment and Export Promotion Agency (AIPEX), was marked by the delivery of certificates of merit to representatives of the most influential Angolan and Nigerian companies in trade relations between both States, which predominate in the production of hydrocarbons in the continent.
Foreign investment The director of Green Energy International, David Serena Doukubo-Spiff, guaranteed the arrival of new renewable energy development projects in Angola, taking into account the potential that the country has for the implementation of photovoltaic projects, wind energy, biofuels, among others. that will allow easier access to electricity for the population. “I had the opportunity to move to some companies and I am pleased to see technicians with vast experience, which means that Africans are capable of growing from a professional point of view. However, it is necessary to have an increasingly expressive African presence ahead of the projects, because we are the ones who have to fight for our technological emancipation in order to achieve energy self-sufficiency”, he stressed. The representative of AIPEX, José Chinjamba, reaffirmed the Executive’s commitment to implement progressive reforms that have an impact on improving the business environment, highlighting tax incentives and the reduction of bureaucracy in processes with a view to attracting foreign direct investment. “The Angolan State’s priorities are to improve the business environment, as a way of solving the problem of employment for youth and others. Accordingly, many reforms were carried out that today allow investment to be made with the least difficulty. The Investor’s Single Window is a reference in this process”, he recalled.
