Former South Sudan Petroleum Minister Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth has urged event organisers to relocate the annual Africa Energies Summit to the continent, arguing that discussions on African energy should take place within Africa.
Gatkuoth’s call, echoed by the African Energy Chamber (AEC), comes at a time when securing investment in Africa’s energy sector is increasingly urgent.
With over 600 million Africans lacking access to electricity and 900 million without clean cooking solutions, the continent faces pressing energy challenges.
Despite the global shift toward renewable energy, Africa receives only two percent of worldwide investments in the sector.
According to the International Energy Agency, closing Africa’s energy access gap requires $25 billion in annual investment by 2030.
Gatkuoth insisted that hosting Africa-focused conferences outside the continent undermines efforts to attract investment and promote African-led solutions.
The Africa Energies Summit, scheduled for May 13-15 in London, brands itself as Africa’s premier global upstream conference, yet remains held outside the continent.
Gatkuoth argued that this misrepresented Africa’s capabilities.
“We cannot keep taking the conversation about Africa outside of the continent. Just like it would not make sense for an event focused on Europe to be hosted in Africa, we should not be hosting an event about Africa in Europe,” Gatkuoth said.
The AEC fully backs Gatkuoth’s stance, noting the economic benefits of hosting energy summits within Africa.
AEC executive chairman NJ Ayuk said events like AEW: Invest in African Energies have demonstrated how local conferences can boost regional industries, support business tourism and create employment opportunities.
Ayuk noted the need to break the trend of hosting African energy events abroad, citing Africa Oil Week’s relocation to Dubai as an example of misplaced priorities.
“Africa is fully capable of hosting an international energy conference. We do not need to go abroad to discuss our own energy matters,” Ayuk stated.
JN/APA