Marking an auspicious halfway point for the MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2022 Conference and Exhibition (https://bit.ly/3a4fuRb) and bringing the first day of programming to a triumphant close, the event’s Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony saw West Africa’s foremost energy figureheads unite for an evening of celebration and recognition. During the two-hour reception, four awards were presented by event organizer Energy Capital & Power (ECP)(https://EnergyCapitalPower.com) to MSGBC pioneers and trailblazers, who have made substantial contributions to innovation, sustainability and transformation across the Basin.
With the energy transition at the forefront of regional discussions – and the need for a just and equitable transition having been affirmed by ten West African energy ministers (https://bit.ly/3wQfv41) earlier in the day – the Renewables Award was bestowed upon H.E. Macky Sall, President of Senegal and Chairperson of the African Union, following his opening address. Under President Sall’s leadership, Senegal has surpassed its target of deriving one-third of its national grid supply from renewable energy, as well as eliminated VAT on solar panels and associated technologies. Meanwhile, the Innovation Award was presented to H.E. Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers Organization, who was among the morning’s leading keynote line-up and will return on Day Two for the closing “Future of Africa’s Energy” ministerial panel.
The Oil Project Award, granted to Australian operator Woodside as the enterprise behind Senegal’s $4.8-billion Sangomar project, which is the first world-class oil development in the region and is set to start production mid-2023. Next, the Gas Project Award was conferred to supermajor bp as the operator of the $4.6-billion Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) development, whose first phase will deliver first gas by the end of 2023, with an initial production of 2.5 million tons of LNG per annum. The project is now rapidly approaching a final investment decision for its second phase of development, which is expected to double production capacity to five million tons of LNG per annum.
Rounding out the evening’s accolades was the Young Professionals Award, awarded to the most dedicated and promising student of Senegal’s Institut National du Pétrole et du Gaz (INPG): Fatimata Agne Fall.
With local journalist and TV presenter Oumy Ndour serving as the MC, the evening’s festivities were brought to a close with the thanking and formal recognition of attending Ministers with trophies of their own, including the respective dignitaries of Senegal, Mauritania, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone.
As the Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony drew to a close, it is this narrative of celebration, mutual collaboration and shared ambition that carries into the second day of the MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power Conference and Exhibition, as international oil executives and NOC heads, investors and analysts, Ministers and more participate and engage in another day of discussions, deal-making, knowledge sharing and partnership.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.
