The African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO) calls on its member states to take into account the threat that the energy transition poses to the national economies and social development of oil and gas producing countries.
On the occasion of the first forum of ambassadors of the organisation's member countries, APPO Secretary General Omar Farouk Ibrahim clarified his institution's position on the paradigm shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
"Our governments rely heavily on revenues from fossil fuel exports to provide security, education, health care, workers' wages and many other necessities of life for the population.Farouk Ibrahim said, adding that the APPO does not dispute the science of climate change.
According to him, the conditions set for an energy transition are not adapted to the African context where 900 million people do not have access to domestic gas and over 600 million live without access to electricity.
The pan-African organisation, based in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, wanted to bring the voice of Africa to the debate on the transition to renewable energies in relation to climate issues. Farouk Ibrahim urged the ambassadors to understand the APPO's position so that they can help it to express itself on the international stage. +said Mr Farouk Ibrahim.