By Anna Marie Valentine
A delegation from the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, led by Minister Abdoulie Jobe, attended Africa Oil Week and Green Africa Summit 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Africa Oil Week advocates for Africa to expand its oil and gas sector with effective and sustainable carbon management techniques. These techniques are meant to support fair transactions that have a good global impact and to leave a legacy of socio-economic development throughout the continent.
This year’s theme is “Maximising Africa’s Natural Resources in the Global Energy Transition”. AOW is advertised as a global platform to participating countries to engage in stimulating deals and transactions across the African upstream. The event is a catalyst and a networking tool offering unrivalled opportunities that will hopefully drive investments and deal making across the continent; thus shaping the future of Africa.
Deputy President of South Africa, Paul Mashatile in his opening statement said oil and gas have an integral role in shaping the growth and development of our continent “and this platform provides an opportunity for us to strengthen collaborations and intra- trade further for our economies to grow’’.
Such regional convergence, he went on, “can also help us better respond to some of the global crises we have seen in the recent past”.
During a ministerial panel discussion at the Green Energy Africa Summit, the Permanent Secretary at MoPE, Mrs Amie Njie spoke about Gambia Government’s strategy to encourage private investment in the energy sector. The Government has adopted a policy to open up the generation component of the electricity sector for private investment.
As part of regional efforts, the Government is collaborating with the West Africa Power Pool (WAPP), to implement a 150mw regional solar plant in The Gambia, and this will be opened to interested independent power producers and the first phase will be 50mw.
Speaking about the role of regional cooperation and trade in unlocking energy sector growth, the PS said that regional cooperation in the energy sector is the surest way for countries to have energy security by leveraging on the competitive advantage of each of the countries. “With regional cooperation, countries can attract donor funding to develop common infrastructures, which will facilitate energy trade between and among member countries.
She added that regional cooperation in energy trade can assist countries to have access to cheaper sources of energy, thus making electricity affordable for the end users.
The Gambia is fully participating in regional projects like the OMVG and NAWEC is a member of WAPP and participating in the WAPP electricity market.
The Ministry is currently implementing a 23mw solar project with eight hours battery storage as part of The Gambia’s Electricity Restoration and Modernisation Project, and the plant is expected to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2024. This is expected to elevate the energy sector in the country.
