OpeOluwani Akintayo
13 April 2018, Sweetcrude, Lagos – Sub-Saharan African, SSA, countries need to continue to cooperate with one another to achieve development of their resources, especially in the oil and gas sector.
Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, disclosed this in a keynote speech at the ongoing fourth Sub-Saharan African Upstream Oil and Gas Summit and Exhibition at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, maintaining that the SSA as a geopolitical zone is attracting considerable attention.
At the three-day conference, holding April 11-13, Kachikwu, represented by Mr. Gbite Adeniji, his Special Technical Adviser, lauded the summit for providing a platform for intellectual discourse, knowledge sharing and showcasing giant strides made by the industry.
The minister rated highly reforms in the African Petroleum Producers Association, championed by Nigeria, saying it was a major key collaborative effort that must be pursued to achieve the continent’s lofty aspirations as a geopolitical bloc.
“Oil, gas and power yield a variety of benefit to our countries, ranging from revenues for governments, nations’ development, to employment opportunity for our citizens;
“The different segments, upstream to downstream, undoubtedly bring benefit to our nations. As such realisation of the entire value chain of these petroleum resources within our countries, presents a virile opportunity to alleviate socio-economic challenges and foster sustainable growth in our countries,” he said.