Strong local interest in inaugural Africa Oil and Gas Forum in Perth

African and Australian oil and gas leaders are coming together in Perth next month for the inaugural Africa Oil and Gas Forum set to be staged in Perth on 10 March 2015.

Building on the success of the first East Africa Oil and Gas Conference Australia staged in Perth in late 2014, this new event is being run as an addition to the annual Australasian Oil & Gas Exhibition and Conference (AOG), with both events to be staged at the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre (PCEC) in an dynamic week of petroleum industry activities.

The Africa Oil and Gas Forum will provide attendees with a unique opportunity to see and hear from international specialists on why the world’s second-largest and second-most-populous continent is such an oil and gas industry hotspot.

Event co-founder Dr Casta Tungaraza says that the oil and gas industry is welcoming the addition of this new event to the AOG calendar.

“There is significant interest in Australia on what is happening in Africa, where there is already a tremendous amount of Australian investment,” said Dr Tungaraza.

“When you consider that West Africa has accounted for one-third of the world’s new oil discoveries, East Africa is attracting billions of dollars in new LNG development capital and that there are so many new opportunities opening up across the continent for oil and gas explorers, producers and service and supply companies, it is no wonder that Africa is such a growing area of interest in Australia.”

Fitting with its theme of providing its audiences with the latest key information, the Africa Oil and Gas Forum will feature a host of leading African and Australian officials, along with industry specialists with first-hand experience on what it takes to succeed there.

“We are providing an excellent opportunity for meaningful dialogue throughout the day covering a range of topics presented by leaders and experts in the field,” Dr Tungaraza said.

The one-day forum features sessions on topics such as “Projects, Investment Opportunities, Challenges and Best Practice, Onshore and Offshore Technology, Innovation and Infrastructure, and The Oil and Gas Sector and Africa’s Development.

The event will be opened by Western Australia’s Attorney General and Minister for Commerce, Michael Mischin, and will feature a number of high-profile African and Australian officials including Hon. Come Manirakiza, the Minister for Energy and Mining in Burundi; H.E Molosiwa Selepeng PH, Dean of the Africa Group of Ambassadors and High Commissioners in Canberra; and Rebekah Grindlay, Director, Resources and Energy, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Other speakers include: Trish O’Reilly CEO, Australia-Africa Mining Industry Group (AAMIG); David Rowbottam, Managing Director of WHL Energy; Ricardo Alves Silva, Partner, Miranda Correia Amendoeira & Associados; Ian Williams, Director, I R Williams and Associates; John Wood, Global Industry Director Oil & Gas at Aurecon; Professor Vishnu Pareek, Head of Department of Chemical Engineering, Curtin University; Peter Grant, Director, International Energy Solutions; and Professor Peter Moore, Executive Director Strategic Engagement, Curtin University Business School.

Bill Hare, AOG Event Director at Diversified Communications, said the addition of the Africa Oil and Gas Forum to the AOG program was an exciting development.

“AOG supports new thinking and recognises the importance of future opportunities for the oil and gas industry and creating an opportunity for AOG participants to hear first-hand about. The dynamic opportunities in Africa are an ideal addition to our positioning of AOG as the platform for the Australian oil and gas industry.”