Luanda – African continent should make an energetic transition without yielding to pressure from world powers, defended Friday (04 November) in Luanda the participants in the 43rd Ministers Meeting of the African Petroleum Producers´ Organization (APPO).
At the forum that closed Friday, in addition to the position adopted on the energetic transition in Africa, the ministers elected the APPO new presidency to be chaired by Benin and the vice presidency was taken by Cameroon, whose one-year term begins in 2023.
During the 43rd Ministers Meeting of the African Petroleum Producers´ Organization, the participants reappointed the secretary general, Omar Ibrahim from Nigerian, for a three-year term of office.
While speaking at the event on behalf of the Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, the minister of State for Economic Coordination, Manuel Nunes Júnior, said that Angola is committed to the APPO´s objectives.
Manuel Nunes Junior announced for the second quarter of 2023, the creation of an Energy Bank in Africa, as a result of a memorandum of understanding between the APPO and Afreximbank (African Export–Import Bank).
The Angolan minister highlighted that Africa should continue to make efforts in order to reduce the huge dependence on the world powers that dominate the oil industry.
To the minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas of Angola, Diamantino Azevedo, who was making his last speech as APPO chairman, the country members are not against energetic transition and highlighted the danger of the agenda that other countries want to impose on Africa.
“We invite the world to assess and understand the real situation of the African continent, and we welcome the support needed to reduce and end the general and energy poverty affecting the continent”, he appealed.
The APPO secretary-general, Omar Ibrahim said that in 2020 the ministers meeting of the organization had identified four objectives, among which the creation of a competent secretariat in search of solutions for common challenges that the APPOS´s countries are facing regarding energetic transition.
On his turn, researcher José de Oliveira highlighted that, in Africa the energy transition will be slow as the continent is still in a phase of growth in energy consumption and furthermore, he assured that it is not bad, since Africa is the continent that pollutes the least.
In the process of worldwide decarbonisation, the focus is on Africa taking account that the population is growing fast on the continent. Until 2040 the energy consumption in Africa is expected to increase by 60%, much more than in any other part of the world.
Therefore, this determines the need to overcome social barriers and infrastructures that in these days prevent hundreds of millions of Africans from gaining access to electricity and clean water.
Although Africa does not produce over 3.8% of the global greenhouse gas emissions, the experts believe that Africa can make significant contributions to meet global objectives to reduce emissions.
The APPO is composed of 18 African countries, namely Algeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Libya, Niger, Nigeria and South Africa, Namibia, Senegal and Ghana.
