HOUSTON, United States of America, April 7, 2021/ -- The
U.S. Africa Energy Forum 2021 – organized by Africa Oil & Power, in
partnership with the African Energy Chamber’s U.S.-Africa Committee –
will foster alignment between U.S. and African governments’ energy
policies and highlight African oil, gas, power and renewable projects
across the energy value chain for U.S. investors; the multi-day forum
unites U.S. and African policymakers, energy executives and industry
leaders to create new linkages and foster discussions that drive
long-term policy formation and project execution; the in-person, two-day
summit and gala dinner will be hosted in Houston, Texas (October 4-5,
2021) and an online seminar and in-person networking event will be held
in Washington D.C. (July 12).
Africa Oil & Power (AOP) (www.AfricaOilAndPower.com)
and the African Energy Chamber are excited to announce the launch of
the first-ever U.S. Africa Energy Forum (USAEF). This event aims to
create deeper cooperation between the U.S. and Africa on energy policy,
to reach alignment on long term sustainability goals, to stimulate
greater American investment in the African oil, gas and power sectors,
and to engage and reposition the U.S. as the primary partner of choice
for African energy developments.
Under the theme “New Horizons
for U.S. Africa Energy Investment” the forum will explore diverse
foreign investment and export opportunities across the continent,
including natural gas as a vital fuel for the energy transition; energy
storage and battery minerals; Africa’s place in global energy supply
chains; the benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area;
evolving energy technologies and how they relate to the future role of
petroleum resources; and on-and off-grid power developments.
An
online seminar and in-person networking event will be held in Washington
D.C. on July 12, 2021, building up to the in-person U.S. Africa Energy
Forum summit and gala dinner, to be hosted in Houston, Texas, on October
4-5, 2021. Africa Oil & Power and the African Energy Chamber invite
all U.S.-based companies with an interest in engaging with African
industry leaders and project developers to participate in the USAEF
Houston summit.
This initiative comes at an important juncture in
U.S.-Africa relations. The Biden Administration’s announcements of its
intentions to proactively build a stronger U.S.-Africa partnership
coincides with the fact that African projects are seeing rising interest
from U.S. companies and lending institutions alike. The USAEF event is
thus dedicated to enabling dialogue between its participants that
advances these developments.
“Our mission has always been to
showcase the resource potential that Africa has to offer while at the
same time showing its growing preference for sustainable energy policies
and technologies. Toward that end, we hope it becomes evident that
Africa does not just want investment capital: it wants smart capital and
an accompanying partnership with the investors,” says James Chester,
Senior Director of Africa Oil & Power. “The U.S. Africa Energy Forum
represents the first-of-its-kind opportunity to catalyze U.S.
participation in Africa’s energy transformation – via technology, policy
support, capital injection and skills development – and turns a new
page in the chapter on global energy investment.”
In partnership
with the African Energy Chamber’s U.S.-Africa Committee, AOP will
introduce American companies to African opportunities and advance an
agenda of sustainable, long-term investment in African energy and other
sectors by U.S. organizations.
“The rise in support from the
U.S. to the continent is a credit to Africa itself, which is
increasingly viewed as a favored destination for global investors,
multilaterals and export credit agencies,” says Jude Kearney, President
of Kearney Africa and former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Service
Industries and Finance at the U.S. Department of Commerce during the
Clinton Administration. “Africa continues to command a healthy share of
global FDI in oil and gas industries. It has for decades shown that
investment in those sectors is favorable compared to other jurisdictions
and can be successful by many measures. Even as Africa and the rest of
the world wrestles with a global pandemic, Africa’s energy sector shows
vitality and resiliency – not only in hydrocarbons but in regard to new
opportunities in mining, liquefied natural gas, and agriculture.”
Both
African governments and private sector sponsors of African energy
projects value highly the combination of investment and partnership that
US investors famously convey. The USAEF seeks to enable successful
partnerships between its participants such that the energy development
goals of U.S. investors and strategic partners and their African
counterparts can be achieved.
No comments :
Post a Comment