… Commends AJERAP For Its Significant Contributions To Africa’s Energy Sector
By Helen Udofa
UYO
The need to promote gender inclusion in African energy sector, with a view to ensuring that women are seen as part of contributors to progress in the African energy sector has been advocated.
The chairman, African Energy Chamber, South Africa, NJ Ayuk, stated this during a One-on-One Engagement Webinar on Wednesday, co-hosted by The Gambia-based media consultant, Camara Sanna, and the managing partner at Surprise Africa, Allen Atwiine.
While underscoring the need for gender inclusion, Ayuk drew attention to the fact that women are often the “last hired and the first fired” in the energy sector, a practice he strongly condemned and advocated for policies that would create a more enabling environment for women, positioning them as key contributors to progress in Africa’s energy industry, while also emphasising the importance of youth engagement in the sector.
Ayuk explained that the African Energy Chamber is working closely with energy companies across Africa to unlock job opportunities as well as provide training programmes and capacity building opportunities to youths across Africa and called for youths’ involvement in African energy sector.
According to him, the African Energy Week scheduled to hold in November is a platform dedicated to the progress and development of Africa’s energy, oil and gas industry.
He said African Energy Chamber also works with government parastatals on addressing critical issues in their countries such as eliminating corruption and several bureaucracies in their country’s energy, oil and gas industry.
As part of the objectives of African Energy Chamber, he said the Chamber is working smart to attract investment from other part of the world into Africa, adding that the Chamber is putting more focus on Russia, UAE, China, and other countries to invest in African energy sector.
Ayuk advocated for justice on African oil and gas development, stating that Africa should be allowed to use its oil and gas resources to develop the continent in alleviating energy poverty. He maintained that Africa needs to use its resources to develop the continent.
Furthermore, he advocated for an enabling environment in terms of government policies to attract investors within Africa in developing the African energy, oil and gas industry and described the African Energy Week as being more than an event, referring to it as an African movement and platform to attract the global energy sector and investors to see the enormous opportunities within the African continent.
He revealed that this year’s African Energy Week is expected to attract 10,000 participants from across the world, while the Week will focus on issues around climate change, renewable energies, among others. He noted that the Week provides a space for all industry players, including women and youth, to participate in and contribute to Africa’s energy growth.
Also, Ayuk commended AJERAP, which has members across all 54 African countries, for its significant contributions to the energy sector, referring to its members as “African truth seekers and freedom fighters.”
Highlighting the purpose behind the African Energy Chamber’s formation, Ayuk explained that it was created to advocate for African businesses in the energy sector, pointing out that, historically, international companies dominated the industry, while African stakeholders were sidelined.
Ayuk urged stakeholders, including governments and investors, to increase their efforts in combating energy poverty across the continent.
In a related development, the African Association of Energy Journalists and Publishers (AJERAP) paid tribute to Uganda as the nation marked its 62nd independence anniversary.
AJERAP, which is committed to promoting accurate reporting on energy, sustainability, and environmental issues from an African perspective, praised Uganda’s progress in the energy sector and its contributions to the continent’s development.
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