Sylva, Kyari, Komolafe, Others to Brainstorm on Future of Africa’s Oil Industry amid Energy Transition

Peter Uzoho

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva and the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mallam Mele Kyari would next Monday in Lagos lead brainstorming sessions on the future of Africa’s hydrocarbon sector amid the ongoing energy transition challenge.

The Chief Executive Officer of the

Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mr. Gbenga Komolafe would also be joining Sylva and Kyari at the industry discussion taking place at the upcoming Nigeria Annual International Conference and Exhibition (NAICE) 2022.

Organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria Council, this year’s edition of the conference centres on the theme: “Global Transition to Renewable and Sustainable Energy and the Future of Oil and Gas in Africa.”

Nigeria and Africa are currently faced with the challenge posed by two major transitions going on in the oil and gas industry including the global transition from fossil fuels to cleaner, renewable and sustainable energy; and the transition from oil majors to independent producers, driven by the gale of divestments by the international oil companies (IOCs).

Despite their huge oil and gas deposits, Nigeria and its sister countries are grappling with high energy deficit, leading to the drag in the continent’s socioeconomic development, with resultant acute poverty and wide scale unemployment.

This has prompted Africa’s political and business leaders including stakeholders in the oil and gas industry to brainstorm on how they would prepare the continent to prevent the heavy impact of the transition on the continent by turning it into opportunities.

Announcing the upcoming conference at a press briefing in Lagos, yesterday, the Chairman of SPE Nigeria Council, Prof. Olalekan Olafuyi, said the opening ceremony would feature contributions from Sylva, Kyari, Komolafe, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr. Ahmed Farouk.

He said this year, the discussions would be centered on the realities of the day in the industry, which he stressed, informed the choice of the theme.

“The world is facing the challenges of balancing the urgency of transition to cleaner energy with the obvious energy deficit and economic challenges experienced in recent times. It is expected that adaptive strategies for energy transition should be adopted in Africa.

“This is the core of the conference.

We have other sub-themes that address key subject matters that centered around the overarching theme,” Olafuyi stated.

According to him, the highlights of the event included: Topical Issues Workshop: The value of Nigerian Hydrocarbon in the Global Energy Mix,; Africa Young Professionals Workshop: The Evolving Energy Mix in Africa: Prospects, Pathways and Opportunities for Young Professionals. He added that the SPE 2022 International President, would also be in attendance to deliver the special guest presentation on the theme of the conference while there would be award night to recognise persons and companies that contributed to the growth of the industry.