South Africa’s Moagi Named Chair Of APPO Oil Companies Forum

South African National Petroleum Company (SANPC) Chief Executive Godfrey Moagi has been appointed chair of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) National Oil Companies CEOs Forum.

Moagi succeeds Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) Chief Executive Kwame Ntow Amoah.

The appointment was announced on Monday during APPO’s eighth annual NOCs CEOs Forum at African Energy Week in Cape Town.

In his acceptance address, Moagi outlined three priorities: developing commercially viable refining capacity, accelerating the establishment of the African Energy Bank and strengthening workforce skills through cooperation among African national oil companies.

He said investment in refineries must be supported by viable markets and urged African producers to address their exposure to disruptions in international energy supply routes.

“We cannot afford to have refineries in every single country without also building credible, viable markets,” he said.

Moagi said the African Energy Bank would be critical to financing strategic energy infrastructure, particularly as some Western financiers withdraw support for oil and gas projects.

“The bank will help us fund the very projects we are struggling to finance when Western funders say they won’t fund us,” he said.

He also called for closer cooperation among national oil companies to develop the technical skills needed across Africa’s energy value chain.

“When confronting challenges, we must look across our borders for solutions,” Moagi said.

“I intend to chair this forum as a convener for all of Africa, not as a representative for South African interests.”

Amoah, the outgoing forum chair, highlighted cooperation between GNPC and PetroSA, a SANPC subsidiary, on Ghana’s offshore Jubilee development as an example of collaboration between African national oil companies.

He urged members to coordinate on access to capital and workforce development, citing the planned launch of the African Energy Bank and a pan-African local content framework in Brazzaville.

“We no longer need to develop projects in isolation: we must find ways to build together,” Amoah said.