After weeks of uncertainty, Hyve Group Plc, organisers of Africa Oil Week have made public the first list of African energy ministers who have expressed willingness to attend the 2021 event scheduled for Dubai from November 8-11.

The initial list that has been made available to the media shows majority of the countries in East Africa will be represented at the even that initially elicited stiff resistance from oil producing countries in West Africa led by Equatorial Guinea and South Africa.

There were concerns that African countries – including the private sector – would give the Dubai meeting a wide berth to protest the rescheduling of the conference from Africa to Middle East.  

Convenors of the meeting, Hyve Group cited the spread of Covid-19 in Africa as the reason for moving the meeting to Dubai from Africa.

The initial line-up consists of two former African presidents, Commissioner for the African Union Commission, Secretary General for AfCFTA and ministers from Ethiopia, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Republic of Congo, Gambia, Mali, Burkina Faso and Djibouti.

This initial line-up suggests government presence at Africa Oil Week 2021 will be strong.

Vice-President of Energy and Government Relations for Africa Oil Week Paul Sinclair said, “Governments are an integral part of Africa Oil Week and we are delighted to be able to provide the sector with much needed direct access to these leaders.

Discussions on-site will take the form of 15+ National Energy Showcases, ministerial panel discussions and pre-arranged 1-2-1 meetings and will help to drive investment and advance energy projects into and across Africa.”

Africa Oil Week is known for gathering vast numbers of African and international energy ministers and acts as a deal-making platform for the most senior stakeholders within the African upstream industry.

Foday Mansaray, Director General for Sierra Leone’s Petroleum Directorate who has also confirmed his participation observed, “We are looking forward to attending Africa Oil Week in Dubai in November. We look forward to participating in the event and presenting opportunities that Sierra Leone has.”

So far, the following ministers and government leaders have announced they will attend Africa Oil Week 2021: former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Malawi President Peter Arthur Mutharika.

The others are Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, African Union Commissioner Wamkele Keabetswe Mene, Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Jean-Marc Thystere Tchicaya, Minister for  Hydrocarbons, Republic of Congo; Abdirashiid Mohamed Ahmed, Minister for  Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Republic of Somalia; Timothy Kabba, Minister for  Mineral Resources, Republic of Sierra Leone; John Munyes, Cabinet Sec Ministry of Petroleum & Mining, Republic of Kenya; Dr Koang Tutlam, State Minister for  Mines, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Republic of Ethiopia; Fafa Sayang, Minister for Energy and Petroleum, Republic of Gambia; Lamine Seydou Traore, Minister for  Energy and Water, Republic of Mali; Bachir Ismael, Minister for  Energy, Republic of Burkina Faso; Yonis Ali Guedi, Minister for  Energy, Republic of Djibouti; Saifuah-Mai Gray, CEO, National Oil Company of Liberia; Archie Donmo, Director General, Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority; Francis Gatare, CEO, Rwanda Mining Petroleum and Gas Board; Proscovia Nabbanja, Ag Chief Executive Officer, Uganda National Oil Company; Asha Omar, CEO, Somalia Petroleum Authority; Foday Mansaray, Director General, Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone; Maixent Raoul Ominga, Head, SNPC, Republic of Congo; Jerreh Barrow, Commissioner for Petroleum, Ministry of Petroleum & Energy, Republic of Gambia; Dr Solomon Kassa, Director for Petroleum Exploration, Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, Republic of Ethiopia; Ibrahim Djamous, Director Gen Hydrocarbon, SHT, Republic of Chad; Famourou Kourouma, Director General ONAP, Republic of Guinea; Alem Kibreab, Director General of the Department of Mines at the Ministry of Energy and Mines, Eritrea .

• A Tell report