H.E. Farid Ghezali, Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO) has issued a direct call to African National Oil Companies (NOCs) to move beyond high-level dialogue and focus on strategic cooperation for fast tracked delivery of upstream projects and local value creation.
Speaking at the 8th annual meeting of the CEOs of APPO NOCs at African Energy Week (AEW) on Monday, Ghezali emphasized that NOCs are no longer just oil companies, but vital platforms for national energy security and economic sovereignty.
“We have moved to how much value Africa can create from the energy it produces,” he stated, highlighting that NOCs must play a decisive role in reversing this imbalance. “To build a competitive sector, African NOCs must strengthen internal partnerships across critical areas, including refining technology, gas infrastructure, petrochemicals, and project financing.”
He urged African NOCs to combine domestic capacities, assets, and off-take agreements to de-risk projects and build a robust pipeline of bankable energy initiatives. The Secretary General highlighted the African Energy Bank as a crucial mechanism to ensure NOCs can finance strategic projects which they cooperate own to enhance regional energy sovereignty.
To ensure long-term impact, the Secretary General challenged delegates to focus on practical outcomes, asking: Which projects can our NOCs develop together? Where can we create integrated value chains? Which projects are we prepared to execute right now?
“Africa does not need an architecture of good intentions, but an architecture of delivery,” the Secretary General concluded, stressing that the true success of industry forums will be measured not by the conversations held, but by the tangible investments, implemented projects, and economic opportunities delivered to African citizens.