Africa wants to take control of its energy future, notably through the development of local content in the oil and gas industry in Africa. This ambition was formalised during the 48th ordinary session of the Ministerial Council of the African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO), attended by the Minister of State, Minister of Hydrocarbons and Mines, Mohamed Arkab.
Building a strong African oil and gas industry is the goal pursued by African countries and reiterated at the APPO Ministerial Council held in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, under the chairmanship of Bruno Jean Richard Itoua, Congo’s Minister of Hydrocarbons and current Council president for 2025.
The meeting concluded with the signing of the “Brazzaville Agreement on the Development of Local Content in the Oil and Gas Industry in Africa,” adopted by the ministers of APPO member countries, as announced by the Ministry of Hydrocarbons in a statement released Tuesday evening, noting the Minister of State’s participation in the signing ceremony. The agreement embodies a collective commitment to strengthen the participation of national skills and companies in energy value chains.
It aims, it was specified, to develop effective mechanisms for measuring and evaluating local content policies in member states, to enable African suppliers to offer high-quality goods and services for the oil and gas industry, and to facilitate access to financing, technology, and expertise for local companies.
The ambition also includes strengthening knowledge transfer and developing African human capacities, supporting partnerships between international and local companies through a “win-win” approach, as well as harmonising local content regulatory frameworks continent-wide, alongside encouraging research, development, and innovation.
“This agreement constitutes a call for common African action, in a spirit of cooperation and solidarity, to build a strong, integrated African oil and gas industry that creates prosperity for the continent’s peoples,” affirmed the ministry in its statement.
Several strategic and organisational issues were also on the agenda of this meeting, noted the Ministry of Hydrocarbons, highlighting the participation of the CEO of Sonatrach, the president of the Hydrocarbons Regulatory Authority (ARH), as well as various sector executives, alongside Energy and Petroleum ministers from member countries, representatives of regional and international organisations, and strategic partners from the oil and gas sectors.
Moreover, participants debated ways to strengthen African cooperation in exploration, production, and technical capacity development.
The session also addressed the prospects for African partnerships within the context of global energy transitions and emphasised the importance of valuing local content in the oil and gas industries as a key driver of sustainable development and value creation in African economies.