The African Energy Chamber has announced the nomination of its Regulatory Affairs Committee, which will serve on its advisory board for 2020 and 2021.
The committee will be central to the AEC’s policy advocacy and advisory efforts across the continent to provide an enabling business environment for investors and entrepreneurs.
Its members include Nicolas Bonnefoy, Managing Director, Africa Oil & Gas LTD
Bill Drennen, President and CEO, WTD Resources LLC; Chijioke Akwukwuma, MD/CEO, Ocean Deep Drilling ESV Nigeria Limited; Bruce Falkenstein P.G., Upstream Advisory and Consulting; Oneyka Ojobgo, Associate Attorney, Centurion Law Group; and Jovita Nsoh, Regional CTO, Strategy and Innovation, Microsoft.
Members of the Regulatory Affairs Committee act in their personal capacity with decades of experience within the public and private sector, with the legal expertise of African and global energy markets.
Given increasing competition for investment and challenging market conditions, said a statement by AEC, the right to adopt market-driven policies and promote an enabling business environment across Africa was greater than ever.
Acting as the link between the public and private sector, the chamber said it “strongly believes” that a recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic would require “a stronger emphasis on market-driven policies, investors-friendly environments and regulations that embrace digitisation” so African markets can compete for capital and technology globally.
“African markets must stay competitive and must do better at attracting investment and respecting the sanctity of contracts,” explained Nj Ayuk, Executive Chairman at the African Energy Chamber.
He added, “From adopting progressive local content legislation to implementing better fiscal regimes, African energy markets must seize the opportunity offered by the global pandemic to review their existing frameworks, keep what is working and amend what is slowing down the pace of investment in the continent.”
