By: Karen Aryeetey
The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, GNPC has hosted the 7th African Petroleum Producers Organization, APPO National Oil Companies, NOC CEOs meeting in Accra, bringing together top executives from African oil-producing nations for high-level discussions on regional cooperation, innovation, and sustainability in Africa’s petroleum sector.
Speaking at the event, the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Mr. John Jinapor encouraged petroleum producing countries in Africa to carefully transition to green energy in a just manner and ensure that they do not entirely abandon their petroleum assets.
He said, “most international companies are beginning to move away from fossil fuels to green energy and a lot of these companies are plateauing in investments and the quantum of money they have put in oil discoveries and production. This means that African countries must begin to develop our own financial resources and NCOs play a critical role when it comes to that”.
Acting Chief Executive of GNPC and current Chairman of APPO Kwame Ntow Amoah stressed the importance of intra-African collaboration, citing that Africa’s energy future should be shaped and led by Africans.
Mr. Ntow said, “Let us use this opportunity to build trust as partners. Africa’s energy future must be led by African voices, African institutions and a strong African resolve”.
The Secretary General of APPO, Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, said several NOCs have paid their equity shares into the Africa Energy Bank as a critical step toward addressing the impending funding challenges posed by the global energy transition.
”The subscription by our NCOs is clear evidence of the confidence we collectively have in ourselves and the determination of Africa to look within first for solutions to its challenges before we look outside”, he noted.
As the global energy landscape undergoes significant transformation, African National Oil companies, NOCs are positioning themselves to take charge of Africa’s energy future.
The opening of the 7th edition of the APPO NOC CEOs Forum brought together CEOs and senior executives from 19 oil-producing African countries.
Deliberations centered on the need for enhanced collaboration and knowledge sharing across the continent to build synergies that make African NOCs stronger and globally competitive.
Energy stakeholders were urged to become proactive architects of Africa’s energy future and advocate for policies that reflect the continent’s unique challenges and realities.
The event, held on the sidelines of Africa Oil Week, AOW 2025, is expected to further strengthen Ghana’s role in leading and shaping Africa’s energy dialogue.
