President Of Angola To Attend GECF Heads Of State Gas Summit

The President of Angola, H.E. João Lourenço, has accepted an official invitation to attend this year’s Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) 5th Heads of State Summit to be held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in November.

The invitation was delivered by the Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons of Equatorial Guinea, H.E. Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima, during an official meeting at the Angola Oil & Gas 2019 conference.

In a meeting with the President during the Angola Oil & Gas 2019 conference held in Luanda, the Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons of Equatorial Guinea, H.E. Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima, delivered the invitation and solicited Angola’s participation in the event.

Angola joined the GECF as an Observing Member in November, representing the sixth African country to join the organization following Algeria, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Libya and Nigeria.

Angola’s gas sector has been bolstered by the recent introduction of legislation promoting the monetization of the country’s gas reserves, including the country’s first natural gas law passed last May to regulate the natural gas exploration, production, monetization, and commercialization.

Taking place in Malabo, the 5th Heads of State Gas Summit represents the first time that the Summit will be held on the African continent and constitutes a key facet of Equatorial Guinea’s Year of Energy initiative, which seeks to position Equatorial Guinea as the energy capital of the continent through a series of Africa-focused events.

In addition to the 5th Heads of State Summit (November 26) and the Ministerial Meeting (November 28), the country will host the Second International Gas Seminar (November 27), which unites Ministers of GECF member countries, heads of international organizations, CEOs of international and national oil companies and public and private sector gas leaders to exchange information and ideas on industry developments through panels, presentations and interactive sessions.

Founded in Tehran in 2001, the GECF is an intergovernmental organization made up of 12 of the world’s leading natural gas producers that serves to foster collaboration among member countries and provide a framework for the exchange of information and the management of natural gas resources independently of oil. Together, GECF member states account for 44 percent of the world gas production, 67 percent of the global gas reserves, 64 percent of the world’s pipeline gas transmission and 66 percent of the liquefied natural gas trade.