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By Adewale Sanyaolu
To promote uniformity and forge a common ground, Africa is pushing for the harmonization of petroleum regulations and standards.
The initiative is to achieved through the African Regulatory Forum (AFRIPERF), chaired by Mr. Gbenga Komolafe, the Commission Chief Executive of Nigeria’s Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The forum which held its second meeting virtually last week, said it was a follow-up to the forum’s inauguration on July 1, 2024, at the International Conference Centre in Garki, Abuja.
AFRIPERF (the Forum) aims to strengthen regional petroleum governance by fostering collaboration, cooperation and coordination among member regulators.
Some of its other objectives include; enhancing regulatory capacity through training and promoting dialogue with industry stakeholders and international organisations.
The forum also seeks to address regional challenges, facilitate knowledge sharing, encourage technology transfer, and promote best practices. Additionally, it advocates for member interests on international platforms. The forum seeks to leverage the collective strengths of regulators to secure sustainable energy resources for development, promote investment in African petroleum exploration, ensure transparency and sound regulation, and advance ethical practices in petroleum exploitation.
During the meeting, African petroleum regulators reaffirmed their commitment to collaboration, harmonisation of regulations and sustainable growth within Africa’s petroleum sector.
Komolafe emphasised the need for unity and cooperation among African nations to enhance the continent’s petroleum industry.
He commended the attendees for their active participation and highlighted the benefits of the APRIPERF platform, noting its role in fostering relationships among African nations to create a unified approach to petroleum regulation that can attract investment and bolster regional economic growth.
He outlined key priorities for AFRIPERF, including building capacity sustainably, harmonising regulatory frameworks for consistency and enabling member countries to effectively share expertise and best practices.
Also speaking at the meeting, Mr. Egbert Fabille, the CEO of Ghana’s Petroleum Commission, underscored the importance of institutionalising the forum across the continent, describing it as a vital step toward achieving a unified and progressive petroleum sector in Africa.
Similarly, Mohammed Dukuly, a representative of the Liberian Petroleum Regulatory Authority, welcomed the APRIPERF initiative and encouraged member states to take ownership of their regulatory environments to maximise national resources for greater profitability.
At the end of the meeting, several action items were agreed upon, including the adoption of an official logo for the Forum.
Additionally, the AFRIPERF charter was reviewed and is set to be adopted at the next meeting.This review sparked a rich exchange of perspectives among the member nations.
Members also discussed extensively onstrengthening collaborative effortsamongmembercountries, including organising a pan-African webinar on regulatory trends and investing in harmonised training programmes.
The collective resolutions of the APRIPERF are expected to pave the way for a more robust and resilient African petroleum sector, equipping the continent to tackle current and emerging challenges in the energy industry.
The virtual meeting was attended by representatives from the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the NUPRC, along with representatives from various regulators across Africa, including Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Senegal, and Angola.
