MEDIA ADVISORY
What: HIGH LEVEL LAUNCHING OF POLICY BRIEF - Natural Gas in the African Energy Landscape
When: 18 October 2021
Time: 15:00 – 16:30 Hours (EAT), 13:00 – 14:30 Hours (CAT), 12:00 – 13:30 Hours (GMT)
Where: ZOOM, https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIvdOirqzkjEtA4qBCvjlVmxEKSVTVVSASt
Who: The meeting is organized by the African Energy Commission (AFREC) in the context of its oil and gas programme which aims to promote the creation of domestic market of crude oil, oil products and natural gas in Africa. The high-level speakers from Natural Gas African producers and consumers’ countries will share their experiences about Natural Gas challenges, opportunities, and key policy recommendations.
Why: The objective of AFREC’s oil and gas programme is to develop required policies that enable market models which promote investment in the sector and promote exploitation, transformation and the uses of African oil and gas in the African domestic market. In this context, AFREC has developed a Policy Brief on “Natural Gas in the African Energy Landscape” as first of a series of policy briefs that will be produced this year to shed light on the energy situation of Africa, using data collected by AFREC from the AU Member States.
The Policy Briefs aim to enhance understanding on specific fuels, their production processes, trade and use while serving as a framework instrument to policy makers across all African countries.
Objectives:
-
To present the findings of the Policy Brief on Natural Gas in the African Energy Landscape and its roles on the African energy sectors.
-
The high-level speakers from Natural Gas African producers and consumers’ countries to share their experiences about Natural Gas challenges, opportunities, and key policy recommendations.
-
To shed light on answers to crucial questions for Natural Gas development in Africa and provide key recommendations going forward.
Specific Outcomes: The implementation of conducive and integrated policies to promote investment in Natural Gas and cross-border trading will attract investments that Africa needs to reduce its reliance on other pollutant fossil fuels.
Participants: The meeting will be attended by Ministers and high-level delegates from the African Union Commission, African Development Bank, AU Member States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and invited international organizations and opened to selected energy sector experts and media representatives.
Notes to the editor:
AFREC is a specialized agency of the African Union (AU) in charge of coordinating, harmonizing and integrating energy resources on the African continent. AFREC’s mandate is implemented under six pillars namely: African Energy Information System (AEIS), Bioenergy Program, African energy efficiency program, Capacity Building, Oil and Gas program and African energy Sector Transition program.
For the natural gas, according to AFREC data, seventeen African countries are producers, seven are net exporters while seven are net importers. Additionally, 40% of global new natural gas discoveries in the last ten years are in Africa, mainly Senegal, Mauritania, Mozambique, Tanzania, etc. However, over 45% of natural gas production in Africa is exported and the contribution of the natural gas in continent energy balance is minimal.
The global energy transition that is driven by the climate change agenda will put more pressure on global oil market, which will be affected negatively as the global commitment is pushing to replace the fossil fuel in general with renewable energies and less emitting fuel sources, and Africa is not an exception. In contrast, natural gas as one of the fossil fuels is considered as clean energy that is necessary for the energy transition and for clean cooking technologies. Thus, it represents an interesting global market expansion.
Furthermore, expansion of natural gas in African energy balance, trading between the African countries, value addition and processing will bring more opportunities to the sector in Africa which require robust policy, regulatory frameworks, and institutional reforms.
Representatives from the media are cordially invited for attendance and coverage of the launch of the meeting on the 18th October 2021- virtually on zoom at 15:00 – 16:30 Hours (EAT), 13:00-14:30 Hours (CAT), 12:00 – 13:30 Hours (GMT). Media questions will not be hosted.
For further information, please contact:
Ms. Ndahafa Nakwafila, Communication Officer at AFREC at nakwafilan@africa-union.org
Mr. Molalet Tsedeke, Directorate of Information and Communication; Molalett@africa-union.org
Follow us:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfricanUnionAFREC
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfricanUnionAFREC
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/AfricanUnionAFREC
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/AUAFREC
