Mahaman Laouan Gaya, executive secretary of the African Petroleum Producers’ Association (APPA) and former secretary-general of hydrocarbons in Niger, discusses Africa’s shifting energy matrix, resource maximisation and the role of APPA in assisting African countries in securing access to better, cheaper sources of energy.
What will APPA’s post-reform objectives be?
Like every other international organisation in the industry, APPA must integrate itself in the context of an ongoing energy transition. To this end, we have been seeking collaboration with the UN to be part of its Sustainable Energy for All programme launched in 2010-2011.
The objective is for each member country to achieve at least a 30% share of renewables in their energy mix before 2030. The energy transition in Africa means first switching to available resources of hydrocarbons, such as natural gas, before moving to renewables.
Africa presents a challenge with only a 1% share of energy from renewables. To meet this goal, we need to reduce the amount of wood used for fuel, which represents 80-85% of the energy matrix of the continent.
What is the role of natural gas in these new energy policies?
Each country has a different perspective on its energy policy, because resources, needs and consumption habits vary from one to another. Natural gas should be used in particular to produce electricity and for activities in the petrochemicals sector.
This gas can fuel the production of polyethylene and other natural gas-based commodities, such as methanol, urea and potash.
Using natural gas for petrochemicals is much more efficient than using it for power generation, as other sources, such as renewable energy and hydroelectricity, are cheaper.
How could Africa become more energy independent?
Importing technology for electricity production from Europe and the US has had a negative impact on Africa’s energy security. We need to find a balance to become less dependent on foreign countries and to better use our own resources.
This objective has become a priority among the members of APPA. National policies will converge according to APPA’s guidelines to guarantee countries’ safer and more-reliable access to energy. Ensuring that hydrocarbons production benefits the African population will be crucial in this.
APPA will conduct a project to study the African market of crude oil and petroleum products. This exhaustive study will include all operations related to upstream development and the downstream transformation of petroleum in refineries.
How can APPA help African governments improve their energy policies?
APPA’s comparative study of regulatory texts of all major African countries’ upstream sectors will be a step towards harmonisation of the continent’s oil and gas regulations. This includes hydrocarbons codes as well as oil and gas exploration and production contracts.
APPA can help countries better define their policies. It can also reach out to non-member states to assist them adopting a modern oil and gas regulatory framework.
Finally, we are also working on a study to draw a comprehensive map of the geology basins and stratigraphy characteristics for all African countries. It will include a complete analysis of fields and blocks and potential development in Africa. The upcoming study will create a finalised picture of the petroleum network in Africa, which could then be used to draft international agreements to prevent border conflicts. This would give us the basis for a unified African petroleum policy.
TOGY talks to Sylvain Itté, French Ambassador to Angola, about the strong economic and cultural ties between the two countries,… Read More
TOGY talks to Li Patrik, director of energy, environment, infrastructure at the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC), about the difficulties of… Read More
TOGY talks to Río Negro province Secretary of Hydrocarbons Sebastian Caldiero about policies implemented by the provincial government to manage… Read More
TOGY talks to Heba Filobbos, area manager of the Northern Gulf for Halliburton, about the company’s experience working as an… Read More
TOGY talks to Christopher Gunson, partner at Amereller, about the oil and gas industry in the UAE and the surrounding… Read More
TOGY talks to Graeme Taylor, Vice President for Angola at Halliburton, about forecasted stabilisation, onshore potential and the qualities required… Read More
This website uses cookies.