the Honorable Dr. Riek Machar, First Vice President of South Sudan, officially opened the first day of the South Sudan Oil & Power 2022 Conference and Exhibition (https://bit.ly/3A1hgvV) and opened the keynote speeches of the Honorable Sudan. Puot Kang Chhol, Minister of Petroleum of the Republic of South Sudan; Honorable Martin Gama Abucha, Minister of Mines, South Sudan; Yonis Ali Guedi, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Djibouti; NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber (https://EnergyChamber.org/) and Hon. Barrister Sandile Nogxina, Special Adviser to the Department of Mineral Resources and Minister of Energy, South Africa (https://bit.ly/3ePYcKg).
Terje Asland, Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy, and Ihsan Abdul Jabber, Iraqi Minister of Petroleum; and Hon. Dhieu Motak Diing Wol, South Sudan’s Minister of Investment, also delivered keynote speeches.
“We have a vision to become the economic hub of this part of the world, especially East and Central Africa. This is the land of abundance. We have everything we need to make this country an economic hub. We encourage you to come and invest. We are more focused on increasing production so that from the revenue we can build our infrastructural base and provide essential service delivery services such as health, education and clean water,” His Excellency Dr. Machar stated.
As the only major oil-producing country in East Africa, South Sudan is of strategic importance to the entire region and is well positioned to attract new investment and long-term development across the entire energy value chain.
“We are looking for investors to come to South Sudan and connect with our national and local companies. The Ministry of Oil, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, has announced a tender for conducting environmental audits in the entire industry. This will help the country review, improve and strengthen environmental legislation. In terms of transparency and accountability, the Ministry continues to report on the daily production and sale of petroleum products. We are also currently being audited as we are also subject to the law and should be audited by those who are authorized to do so,” said Hon. Man.
As regional markets launch exploration campaigns in search of energy security, the energy transition requires the adoption of new technologies, and demand across the region grows, South Sudan represents the gateway to doing business in East Africa.
“This is definitely a time when we need investment. Energy is what we want today. The transition from fossil fuels to clean energy is a requirement of the modern world. Without this transition, we will not be able to improve our livelihoods. But most importantly, a just transition is what we need today. South Sudan has the potential to export not only to Africa but also to the whole world. Especially in the mining sector, we have a lot of minerals. We will be the engine for the transition,” said the hon. Training.
In 2022, South Sudan has been and continues to prioritize energy partnerships to expand exploration and production. Countries such as South Africa and China, which have been present in South Sudan for several years, are looking to improve their footprint in the high-potential market.
“We have identified South Sudan as one of our strategic partners and are leveraging our product distribution agreement. Soon we will start with aeromagnetic imaging. This is not an isolated exploration project, but a comprehensive one with opportunities to build a pipeline to export resources and build refineries to process those resources. We believe that these efforts will make a significant contribution to improving the energy supply of both countries,” said Hon. Attorney Nogxin.
“Djibouti is not the largest oil and gas producing country. So the gateway to East Africa will be here in Juba. They will be able to extract and export oil and gas for us and the world,” said J.E. Guedi.
As South Sudan Oil & Power 2022 gets underway and a series of market-focused discussions explores key themes and trends in East Africa’s energy industry, a new era of regional investment and development is on the horizon.
“South Sudan and the industry are at a crossroads with global and industry forces as well as citizens asking for improved local content. Oil and gas resources can be used for the nation’s profit. We are at a crossroads after five years as we look at the licensing rounds because this is still the most underdeveloped and underexplored region; and at the crossroads when we ask how we can increase production, improve local content,” Ayuk said, adding that “We have to be better. We have to change the way things are. It is important that we start using the untapped reserves, not only the oil, but also the youth.”
Speaking in a video message, J.E. Asland said that “the distance between the SS and Norway may be great, but we have a lot in common, for example, rich energy resources. Europe and Africa have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and the war in Ukraine. The IEA forecast clearly shows us that a large part of Africa has been left out of the energy transition, with 600 million people without access to electricity. As policymakers, our most important challenge is to ensure energy security and how we can make the sector more resilient for an ever-changing world.”
Adding to this, J.P. Jabber stated that “To get out of the current complications and to ensure one of the most important goals of sustainable development, we must prioritize energy security. Today, when prices are starting to rise rapidly, it seems that it is time to move quickly and fairly in the direction of stable and sustainable energy. Demand is predicted to increase by 50% by 2040, meaning it is critical that energy is available even in complex and dynamic environments.”
“Investors coming to South Sudan want to know if there are favorable conditions for investment. As the Minister of Investments, I can confirm that it is. We signed a peace agreement, implemented it and agreed, and now we are peaceful. South Sudan is not the only country rich in resources. That is why we are trying to be competitive by creating foundation plans on legal frameworks to ensure competitiveness of laws and regulations that will protect investors,” said Hon. ox
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.
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