Diarise: 2nd Annual Southern Africa Oil and Gas Conference & Expo

15 – 16 September 2022 , The Westin Hotel, Cape Town

 “Shifting gear: towards a sustainable oil and gas future for Southern Africa”

WHAT excites one about the conference is the meaningful collaboration between industry, communities, government and other important role-players it creates. A second annual conference of its kind, the DMRE, PASA, SAOGA conference promises to be a highlight on the oil and gas and energy calendar yet again this year.  With COVID19 behind us a large crowd is expected to attend.

The two-day conference provides an excellent opportunity for local and international companies, communities and government to network, exhibit and promote their products and services. The event is designed to improve access of local and international players to a quality topical oil and gas and energy conference, highlighting local and Southern African oil and gas industry opportunities.

With an excellent line-up of speakers, like; Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter, senior Shell and Total representatives, the Executive Mayor of Mossel Bay, Councillor Dirk Kotzé among others, the conference will be a key attraction.

As usual, the Sub-Saharan African focus is invaluable for companies considering expansion beyond the borders of South Africa.  With developments and exploration activities rapidly expanding in Sub-Saharan Africa, it is important for industry to stay abreast of developments in the region. It will be extremely valuable to have credible updates on opportunities and recent advances in Southern Africa’s offshore & onshore oil and gas basins.

We look forward to oil companies, commissioners, bankers, lawyers and industry leaders from Sub-Sahara African countries like; Namibia, Mozambique, Uganda and Zimbabwe providing valuable updates on the progress their countries are making in the oil and gas industry and provide information on the business requirements in their respective countries.

The presentation on the socio-economic benefits of the upstream project – case study focused on TOTAL’s Block11B/12B will undoubtedly draw attention, particularly against the background of Just Energy Transition discussion. The panel discussion where Mossel Bay Mayor and industry leaders will zero in on the historic and potential socio-economic benefits of the oil and gas industry to the Garden Route District Municipal region promises to be insightful.  The session will provide an important perspective on the value of the past and potential future impact of the Oil and gas industry in the region that cannot be ignore as we negotiate the future.

It is great that the Oceans Economy Masterplan will be in the spotlight at the event, with key players presenting. This is critically important, as industry and stakeholders will be provided first hand perspectives on initiatives the master-plan is aiming to address.  The role players need to be held accountable for the implementation of the master-plan. The session will provide an opportunity for attendees to establish first-hand how they may participate. The plan is forward looking and is based on broad consultation with all the stakeholders.

As Hydrogen will be a future source of energy, it is encouraging that the conference will engage with salient issues related to this energy source. An impressive line-up of speakers will focus on Hydrogen. The session promises to provide significant intelligence on what the future looks like for Hydrogen production in the region.

The presentation dealing with the technologies for reducing GHG emissions and the case study for zero scopes 1 emissions (Côte d’Ivoire an example) is not to be missed.  The oil and gas industry is extremely conscious of protecting the environment and the session will demonstrate some of the new technologies that will help reduce carbon emissions.

The focus on women in oil and gas promises to be hugely insightful. The oil and gas industry is traditionally male dominated. Are we seeing change? What are the potential opportunities?  How does women get involved?

In conclusion, I believe we can look forward to a brilliant time of engaging, reflecting, networking with key stakeholders, on issues that matter, to collaboratively seek solutions for the challenges facing the oil and gas and energy industry.