Marrakech – On the sidelines of the Oil and Gas Summit, which took place from October 24 to 26 in Marrakech, Director of Strategic Communications and Member Services, Tatyana Khanberg, made the case that Africa’s need for energy is one of the main drivers of development on the continent.
Khanberg took part in the event to talk about the major forces driving megaprojects such as the development of gas in Morocco and West Africa.
“Africa has been an important player in the global energy security, supplying gas and oil and resources to the world while, unfortunately, local markets continue to be underdeveloped,” she said, noting that this is “a critical focus area.”
As well as being “the youngest continent” and a rising energy powerhouse, Khanberg argued, Africa boasts “lots of potential for growth.”
Noting the enormous development potential of Africa, the director said that investing in gas is a sure way of “addressing energy poverty” and industrializing and urbanizing African societies.
She went on to say that the continent is home to “lots of potential and there is definitely lots of room to grow and develop.”
Director of Strategic Communications and Member Services, Tatyana Khanberg
Amina Benkhadra, General Director of the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), echoed similar sentiments.
In particular, Benkhadra stated that Morocco has demonstrated over the past twenty years that it is capable of organizing its energy industry.
With the ongoing, alarming global energy crisis, she argued, countries must recognize the need for energy security as a prerequisite for energy access.
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Benkhadra praised the importance of oil, gas, and fuel oil, arguing that they “will still be needed in the coming decades, despite the commitment and the need to move towards sustainable energy and even more towards renewable energy.”
She further explained: “Gas is important in this landscape because it’s the only source that can be used to stabilize the intermittency of the networks of renewable energy. It’s also considered as a clean and sustainable energy.”
For the ONHYM director, the general director suggested that more exploration is needed to mobilize the energy potential of Morocco and West Africa.
Panelists of the Oil and Gas Summit
“In Morocco, we are making efforts to continue our oil and gas exploration with our national and international partners … We need more investment and more drilling to make this potential a reality in terms of commercial discovery,” she continued.
For his part, Head of Gas Business at Chariot, Pierre Raillard, spoke about the contributions his company hopes to make to the gas industry in Morocco, with a focus on the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project.
“We believe we have a role in crystalizing the start of a gas industry in Morocco … then increase the gas demands, so the Nigeria-Morocco pipeline ambitions can also be accelerated,” he concluded.
