African Chamber of Energy Reacts to EU Announcement

According to the publication the AEC welcomed on 3 January 2022, the European Union's intention to consider natural gas production as a green energy source, which would benefit African producers.

Mercados Africanos, reporting on a note from the AEC, said that the statement said, "The idea of natural gas serving as a transitional source of energy has been promoted by African nations for a long time and therefore the AEC commends the European proposal as a historic development that justifies a positive evolutionary perspective towards an inclusive energy transition.

The statement was signed by the President of the African Energy Chamber (AEC), NJ Ayuk, "Historically, Africa has always fought for sustainable development, but for that purpose the continent needs to first industrialize, and it must have the same opportunities as Europe and other Western countries," the statement quoted by Mercados Africanos adds.

However, the same statement, the website reports, does not deny that "We have had our disagreements with our European friends," but NJ Ayuk, added that the discussions held were "critical to bring us to share the same point of view on liquefied natural gas, a low carbon fuel.

The same statement highlights a victory for African producers and the AEC itself by stressing "Africa's advocacy for a fair and inclusive energy transition has been answered through the European Union's historic proposal to consider natural gas as a green energy source."

NJ Ayuk, was also clear in the same statement when expressing the African position on this matter "Africa faces unique challenges and must be given time to make its energy transition according to its needs".

Nj Ayuk is a Cameroonian lawyer, businessman and writer. Ayuk is the founder and CEO of Centurion Law Group, a Pan-African Corporate Law. He is the Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber.

NJ Ayuk who underscored this decision as a victory for Africa, opined that "African oil and gas producers will continue to rely on industry revenue to sustain economic growth and ensure a just and inclusive energy transition, and should lobby for know-how transfer, training, gas monetization programmes and other strategic opportunities so that their oil and gas operations can create pathways for sustainable development and diversification."

It should be noted that the INP launched the 6th Bidding Round for the Concession of Hydrocarbon Exploration and Production Areas, a round that has long been awaited by the large national and international energy community. In fact, 16 new areas were defined, distributed over 4 different regions, five of which are located in the Rovuma Basin, seven in Angoche, two in the Zambezi Delta and two in Save, making up more than 92,000 km² of area.

For more information please contact the National Petroleum Institute, located at Rua dos Desportistas Nº.259, Maputo city, at 21248300 or 839511000 or you can also send an email to comunicacao@inp.gov.mz.