African Petroleum Producers Organisation: Experts begin work ahead of 46th Council of Ministers session in Y’de.

Focus is to lay the groundwork for the 19th Ordinary Meeting of the Executive Council of the body, to hold on Wednesday October 30.
The 19th Ordinary Meeting of the Executive Council is also to prepare the ground for the 46th Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of APPO which holds Friday November 1.
The ordinary APPO meetings are holding in Cameroon 16 years after the last one on March 28, 2008. 
The gathering is taking place against the backdrop of the post-reform of the body and the global energy transition in which the whole planet, and the African continent in particular, are involved. 
The Yaounde conference, which kicked off October 28 with committee meetings, will run till to November 1, 2024, with the 46th session of the Council of Ministers. 
It is holding under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Cameroon, H.E Paul Biya.

Experts from member countries reviewing activities 
Committee meetings kicked off yesterday with the Audit Committee of the Executive Council. It brought together experts from Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa. 
The committee reviewed updates on the conclusions of the EBAC meeting. They also reviewed the Statutory Report for 2023 and recommendations of the Executive Council. 
The Budget and Finance Committee of the Executive Council which had experts from Egypt, Angola and Benin, also had updates on the conclusions of EBFBC meeting, the execution of 2024 budget as at October 28, 2024.
They also made proposals to update the Budget Nomenclature and reviewed the 2025 Work Programme and Budget. 
Today, October 29, the preparatory committee meeting will review Long-Term Strategy, LTS, and Strategic Implementation Plan, SIP, of APPO.
It will also feature updates on the implementation of the Executive Council decision on the restructuring of the APPO Secretariat and recommendations on the way forward. 
The 19th Ordinary Meeting of the Executive Council will officially open Wednesday, October 30. 
It will feature speeches from the Secretary General of APPO, Dr Omar Farouk Ibrahim; Member of the Executive Council on behalf of the Republic of Congo and President of the Executive Council, Stev Simplice Onanga.
There will also be a speech from the Executive General Manager of National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH), Plenipotentiary of Cameroon to the APPO Council of Ministers and President of the APPO, H.E Adolphe Moudiki. 
Issues at stakes at 46th session of Council of Ministers
The 46th session of the Council of Ministers in Yaounde, officials said, will handle several key issues at stake. 
This will include adequate financing for oil and gas projects and operations, with the finalization and operationalization of the African Energy Bank, access to oil and gas technology and participation in technological development to master the oil and gas industry in Africa.
It will also touch on the development of local expertise in the oil and gas sector by drawing up an inventory of existing training and capacity-building institutes and centers in APPO member countries, and designing collaborative programs to benefit all member countries,
We gathered that it will also handle the development of continental/regional/sub-regional energy infrastructures and markets, by making an inventory of existing energy infrastructures in Africa with their descriptions and capacities and carry out operational and production studies on relevant topics.
APPO, it should be said, has alongside Pan-African financial institution, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), created the new African Energy Bank (AEB), an institution that will provide financing for African oil and gas projects. 
The bank, to be headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria, aims at supporting oil and gas projects that are struggling to find financing due to the ongoing energy transition, as global lenders redirect their investments towards alternative energy sources. 
It will also support Africa's energy security by guaranteeing a reliable supply of energy from both traditional and renewable sources, thus contributing to the diversification of Africa's energy sector.
It will also enhance cooperation with the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, and the Africa Energy Chamber, AEC. 
APPO, officials noted, is ready to support major oil and gas projects underway in Africa such as the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim, Mozambique LNG, the Lake Albert development in Uganda, the Sangomar field development in Senegal and others.

Understanding APPO Governing Bodies 
The African Petroleum Producers Organisation, APPO, is governed by different structures. This includes the Council of Ministers, which is the supreme political and decision-making body of the organisation.
There is also the Executive Council which meets twice a year and comprises one representative per APPO member country. 
APPO also has a Secretariat which is housed at the organisation’s head office in Brazzaville, Congo. The organisation also has the meeting of Chief Executive Officers, CEOs, of national oil companies and the African Energy Bank. 
The Council of Ministers is made up of the Ministers in charge of the hydrocarbon sector of the member countries or Plenipotentiaries of the said countries. 
It meets once a year in Ordinary Session which is held on a rotating basis in member countries and according to alphabetical order unless otherwise decided by the Council. 
It is chaired by the Minister of the country hosting the Ordinary Session of the Council which ends the current fiscal year. The Vice Presidency goes to the country that will host the next Ordinary Session of the Council.
The incumbent President of the Council of Ministers is H.E Adolphe Moudiki, Plenipotentiary of Cameroon to the APPO, and the Vice President is H.E Bruno Jean Itoua, Minister of Hydrocarbons of the Republic of Congo. 
The Executive Council meets twice a year and comprises one representative per APPO member country. Its first meeting of the fiscal year holds in any member country willing to host or at the APPO Secretariat in Brazzaville, Congo. 
The second meeting is held before the Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers, in the country holding the Presidency of APPO. Only members of the Executive Council take part in deliberations. 
However, a proxy, duly mandated in writing, may be authoritised to take part in the deliberations, provided that such proxy cannot assume the chairmanship of the meeting. 
The Presidency of the Executive Council is currently held by Stev Simplice Onanga, Member of the Executive Council on behalf of the Republic of Congo.
The reports of the Executive Council are submitted to the Council of Ministers by the Chairman of the Council and kept in the archives of APPO Secretariat. 
The Chief Executive Officers of the National Oil Companies meet whenever necessary to deliberate on technical, financial and specific subjects with a view to preparing a report to be submitted to the Executive Board. 
As per APPO Internal Regulations, the meeting of CEOs is convened by the Secretary General after authorization by the Executive Board.

About APPO
The African Petroleum Producers Organisation was founded in Lagos, Nigeria, on January 27, 1987, by eight African countries. 
It was previously known as the African Petroleum Producers’ Association, APPA, before being renamed to its current name in 2019, following a reorganisation of the group.
The organisation brings together 18 oil-producing countries in Africa including Algeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Gabon, Libya, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of South Africa, Senegal, Republic of South Africa, Senegal, Chad and Venezuela (observer).
As per APPO, these member countries collectively produced an average of 9.92 million barrels of oil per day in 2017, accounting for over 99% of Africa’s total production. 
APPO’s mission is to promote cooperation in the field of hydrocarbons of its member countries and other global institutions to foster fruitful collaboration and partnerships while utilizing petroleum as a catalyst for energy security, sustainable development and economic diversification in Africa. 
The organisation aspires to be the world’s reference and lead institution on Africa’s hydrocarbon matters.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3274 of Tuesday October 29, 2024