President Muhammadu Buhari and the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, Mr. Simbi Wabote canvassed for effective collaboration among African nations to enable them jointly develop mega energy infrastructure like refineries, gas turbines and pipelines and create employment opportunities for their citizenry.
The President spoke in Abuja when he declared open the 2019 Nigeria International Petroleum Summit, with the theme: Africa on the Global Stage: International Collaboration, Opportunities and the Future.
Represented by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, Buhari commended African countries for working collaboratively under the aegis of the African Petroleum Producers Organisation, APPO, noting that the relationship among the producing nations would enable the movement of specialised skills set and investors across member-states.
He noted that African petroleum producers faced several challenges, which included the immense pressure being put on crude oil price by shale gas, the volatility of crude oil prices, investment limitations and the influence of President Donald Trump of the United States on the global crude oil price.
He stressed that only the creation of jobs would halt the illegal and deadly migration of African youths to European nations. He warned, “If we continue to move critical activities of our oil and gas industry and the accompanying jobs outside the country, then our youths will continue to move out to Europe in search of greener pastures.”
Source: Vanguard
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