Stakeholders in the fight against malaria have made a clarion call to Members of Parliament to give precedence to malaria prevention in the next budgeting cycle.
The call was made at a high-level advocacy engagement with MPs, on gender-responsive malaria and health services, on Tuesday, 18 November 2025 at the Parliament Conference Hall.
According to Peter Mbabazi, the Board Chairperson of the Malaria Youth Champions Uganda (MYCU), the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) ought to be updated to include malaria as a precondition for budget approval.
He observed that the recent cut in donor aid has greatly affected malaria-elimination interventions in the country, and reiterated the need to avail sufficient local funding for the purpose, especially through the malaria prevention and control code.
“Malaria is no longer a health issue but also a development issue. Members of Parliament are directly affected when their constituents succumb to this disease. We must take this a priority and solve it, because Uganda can no longer rely on donor aid to curb malaria,” Mutabazi said.
He added that funding for efficient ambulance services for local communities also needs to be improved, to enable them access health facilities in a timely manner, during emergency situations.
“Our people are dying of malaria because of the time lag between a malaria episode and its treatment. As you (MPs) deliberate the next budget, consider more ambulance units and allocation of fuel to run them,” Mutabazi noted.
A Gender Equality Fund (GEF) community scorecard issued at the workshop indicated that there was limited ambulance management and services, little or no availability of prescribed medicines at health facilities, and poor responsiveness to community health needs, among the challenges.
The data was collected from communities living near Nakavule Hospital and Nalugai Health Centre III in Iganga and Bukedea districts, respectively.
Dr Hilda Namuddu, Team Lead at Malaria Youth Champions Uganda, said the scorecard seeks to promote data visibility and accountability mechanisms, to support guidelines for required interventions in addressing malaria prevalence in Uganda’s communities.
“We have challenges in communities that are beyond our reach and cannot be addressed solely by our team. This is why we require the buy-in of our Members of Parliament, to take a big step forward,” Namuddu said.
Hon. Emmanuel Otaala (NRM, West Budama County South), said the Ministry of Health needs to front several strategies together to curb malaria in Uganda, on top of available malaria treatment and prevention tactics.
“We also need to restore public confidence in the public health system, because many patients tend to seek healthcare services from private health facilities which, come at a high cost for them,” Otaala added.
Rukungiri Municipality MP, Hon. Elisa Rutahigwa, commended the efforts of the Malaria Youth Champions Uganda team, and urged them to engage Parliament through its different channels.
“The challenges that have been highlighted, have been persistent. The youth can add their voice to fighting malaria by petitioning Parliament on the issue of health insurance and funding,” said Rutahigwa.
Hon. Richard Oseku (NRM, Kibale County) called for the deployment of doctors at health centre IIIs to ease access to health services, whereas Bwamba County MP, Hon. Richard Gafabusa urged government to emulate strategies of countries like the United States, in eliminating malaria.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged South African companies to take a leading role in shaping a new economic trajectory for the African continent, saying the country’s prosperity is inseparable from that of its neighbours.
The President was delivering remarks at the Presidential Business Working Dinner at Investec in Sandton, held just three days before the G20 Leaders’ Summit, the first-ever to take place on African soil.
“This is a task that we need to undertake together, as government and business, as social partners, to look at the opportunities beyond our borders and to be part of building a better Africa. Let it be the start of a new chapter in South Africa’s role in the economic development of our continent,” the President said at the dinner held on Tuesday night.
WATCH | Presidential dinner
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Speaking to an audience of senior executives, industry leaders and government officials, President Ramaphosa said South Africa’s G20 Presidency had been guided by a clear vision that Africa must be central to the forum’s deliberations.
“This is the context in which we sought this engagement, so that we can share experiences and perspectives on advancing this agenda through trade, commerce and investment. On Friday, I will be meeting with the African Heads of State and Government who have been invited to the G20 Leaders’ Summit. “At this meeting, I hope to showcase the extent and scope of investment by South African companies in other African countries.”
The President said the gathering would provide an opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of South African companies to the development of the continent, while encouraging reciprocal efforts to create more conducive conditions for doing business across African borders.
He acknowledged the significant role the Business B20 (B20) has played in connecting businesses with governments during South Africa’s G20 Presidency, noting that many of the executives present had contributed to those deliberations. As the continent’s most industrialised and diversified economy, the President said South Africa is well-positioned to drive investment and trade across Africa. He pointed to encouraging signs within the domestic economy, including improved employment figures, another projected primary budget surplus, and progress in reducing sovereign debt.
He also highlighted several key developments, including South Africa’s exit from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list after two years of reforms, last week’s sovereign credit rating upgrade by S&P, and dramatic improvements in electricity supply.
The President added that progress at ports and railways was also beginning to show.
“Despite these positive developments, headwinds remain,” the President cautioned, adding that South Africa must strengthen its capacity to compete and produce in a complex and uncertain global economic environment.
President Ramaphosa commended South African firms for their agility and innovation in navigating challenges over many years, attributes he said should now be leveraged as companies explore new markets across the continent.
Central to unlocking these opportunities, he said, is the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which will profoundly transform market access through enhanced regional integration and cross-border value chains. The agreement stands to open a market of 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP of US$3.4 trillion.
Grounded in the belief that South Africa’s destiny is bound to the continent’s, President Ramaphosa called for a renewed sense of purpose in driving Africa’s economic rise. “As Africa grows and prospers, so South Africa will grow and prosper,” he said.
H.E. Omar Obaid Alhesan Alshamsi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, received a copy of the credentials of H.E. Jamal Beker Abdula, Ambassador of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the UAE.
His Excellency wished the new Ambassador success in the performance of his duties and emphasized the UAE’s keenness to enhance the relations between the United Arab Emirates and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in all fields.
The newly appointed Ambassador praised the leading and prestigious position that the UAE enjoys regionally and internationally under the visionary policy of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.
The United Arab Emirates and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia enjoy distinguished relations across a range of areas of mutual interest, and both sides are keen to further strengthen this partnership to serve shared interests and promote sustainable development for the two friendly countries and their peoples.
– on behalf of United Arab Emirates, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mr. Temesgen Hagos, Head of Culture and Sports in the Adi-Keih sub-zone, reported that ancient and historical heritage has been discovered in Der’a, Adi-Keih sub-zone.
The discovered heritage includes various artifacts such as a seal, amphora, cup, water container, as well as rock paintings and scripts.
The ancient and historical heritage was found in agricultural land and construction sites.
Noting that the area is rich in ancient heritage, Mr. Temesgen urged for caution during construction activities and for the timely reporting of discoveries to concerned institutions.
Indicating that finding ancient artifacts in the area is not new, the residents called for scientific exploration and the collection of ancient remains so that they can be preserved and transferred to future generations.
South Africa’s economic diplomacy must become bolder and more strategic while also focusing on the African continent if it is to withstand escalating global uncertainty and advance its development goals.
This was the central message delivered by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) Ronald Lamola at a high-level Presidential Working Dinner with South African companies operating across the continent.
The working dinner, which forms part of the G20 Outreach Programme was held on Tuesday evening held at Investec, Sandton.
Speaking ahead of the G20 Leaders’ Summit, Lamola said South Africa is hosting the G20 “at a unique moment,” shaped by widening geopolitical fractures, volatile trade tensions and shifting global power centres.
“Responding to the uncertainties of today’s world, our government is fine-tuning an economic diplomacy strategy that rests on a few key assumptions and aspirations. In a world defined by competition for markets, minerals, technology, skills and investment, economic diplomacy can no longer be optional. “It is an indispensable part of positioning South Africa for long-term resilience and addressing our domestic challenges.”
The Minister told business leaders that President Cyril Ramaphosa had instructed him to convene the dialogue following the European Union’s Gateway announcement, underscoring the strategic significance of ensuring that South African companies are supported as they expand into African markets.
Lamola outlined the government’s emerging economic diplomacy strategy, built on a set of foundational assumptions and aspirations aimed at positioning South Africa more competitively. At the heart of this strategy is the long-standing principle that “Africa is our home; Africa is our destiny,” a thread that has run through three decades of South African foreign policy.
“This economic diplomacy strategy gives practical expression to that orientation. The fate of our continent requires Africans, including ourselves, to act together to advance and defend our interests and to play our part in transforming the global order,” he said.
The strategy seeks to attract investment, stimulate growth and build stronger regional value chains, particularly in sectors such as critical minerals and manufacturing. These goals are aligned with the 2024–2029 Medium-Term Development Plan, which prioritises inclusive growth, reindustrialisation and the expansion of South Africa’s trade footprint.
He highlighted Africa’s immense economic potential: a young population, abundant mineral resources essential for the global energy transition, and a growing market that could reach USD 3.4 trillion under a fully implemented African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Yet, he also pointed to persistent obstacles. Only 16% of Africa’s trade is conducted within the continent, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region sits at 21%. He argued that South Africa must strive for 50% trade integration within the SADC to meaningfully boost continental trade. Economic prospects
The Minister presented three “provocations” to guide conversations with business leaders, likening them to a three-legged pot holding Africa’s future economic prospects.
The first, he said, is the need to deepen regional investment in a reciprocal way. South African companies have long been catalytic players in African markets, building infrastructure, expanding telecommunications, and growing financial and retail networks.
However, these gains are often undermined by policy uncertainty, inconsistent regulations, stringent exchange controls, and occasional unfair treatment of South African firms. Such challenges weaken the growth of regional value chains, Lamola warned.
“Mr President, I am pleased to report that DIRCO and the dtic [Department of Trade, Industry and Competition], working closely with business, have established a new coordination platform to unlock opportunities across the continent.
“This mechanism, known as the Committee for the Coordination of Economic Diplomacy (COMED), brings Government and the private sector together to advance South Africa’s economic footprint,” he said.
A new investment facilitation framework is also under development, designed to support companies through foreign economic offices, improve regulatory guidance, strengthen risk-mitigation tools and enhance dispute-prevention mechanisms. This framework will be anchored in the Protection of Investment Act and complement both the AfCFTA Investment Protocol and the World Trade Organization (WTO’s) Investment Facilitation for Development.
The second leg of the “three-legged pot” addresses growing public scepticism at home toward regional integration.
Lamola said the government must demonstrate, tangibly, that regional cooperation and intra-African trade create meaningful economic benefits for ordinary South Africans not only for political leaders or commercial elites.
The third leg calls on business leaders themselves to embrace long-term thinking and resist the lure of short-term gains. Lamola argued that sustainable profits and broader societal returns are not mutually exclusive, and that a narrow horizon of immediate profit “serves none of us.”
“You may argue that this three-legged pot of provocations is missing one vital element. That is the fire to keep the pot burning. You are right, and it is us in this room that must start [the] fire.
“Through President Ramaphosa’s leadership, we can secure buy-in from key actors in society, especially the people in this room,” the Minister said.
Lamola credited President Ramaphosa’s leadership, strategic judgement and Ubuntu-centred approach as central to galvanising this collaboration. – SAnews.gov.za
The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) has expressed confidence in the safety and security preparations for this weekend’s G20 Leaders’ Summit.
“As the NATJOINTS, we have been meeting daily with all relevant role-players to ensure our security plan is well-executed,” NATJOINTS Chairperson Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili said on Tuesday.
South Africa will host the Leaders’ Summit on 22 and 23 November 2025 after having assumed the G20 Presidency in December 2024.
“We are therefore confident in saying that the safety and security preparations for the Summit are well on track, with all critical role players already on the ground executing their various responsibilities as per their mandate,” she said.
This as a five-pillar approach has been taken for the summit that will be hosted on African soil for the first time.
The five-pillar approach speaks to: • Intelligence gathering, analysis and co-ordination; to ensure police detect, prevent and combat all forms of criminality timeously. • A proactive approach which includes high visibility to police all hotspot areas to prevent, and respond to any element of criminality. • The implementation of the Combat approach in response to any violation of the law through the deployment of uniformed officers including specialised units. Should the need arise, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is also on standby to exercise their secondary role of supporting the South African Police Service (SAPS). • Reactive approach through detection and case management. • Awareness and information sharing led by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), and Communication teams from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and the SAPS, keeping interested parties and communities at home and abroad updated through messaging that will enhance the safety and security of everyone in the country – residents and visitors alike.
Addressing the media at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg on the state of security readiness for the Summit, Mosikili urged the public to take note of the identified road closures and cooperate with law enforcement authorities. She added that roads will be closed off completely and movement from pedestrians, cyclists and motorists will be limited when convoys pass through.
“Roads will be opened as soon as the convoys move past the affected routes,” she said.
This as the Road Traffic Management Corporation as well as the Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni Metro Police Departments have already appraised communities of the affected road closures and possible traffic delays. The specific routes that are already affected include parts of the N1, N12, R21, N3, R24 and the M1.
She warned that lawlessness will not be tolerated and those found on the wrong side of the law will face the might of the law.
“We would like to remind members of the public that the safety of our visitors and that of South Africans as a whole, is paramount and anyone who tries and even attempts to test our security measures – will face the full might of the law.”
With regards to groups planning to protest within the Nasrec vicinity, Mosikili urged them to do so within the confines of the law.
“Failure to do so, could land you on the wrong side of the law and we shall also not hesitate to act decisively with any acts of lawlessness. Designated speakers’ corners around the vicinity of Nasrec have been identified for this purpose.
“We will therefore not allow any disruptions, lawlessness and no damaging and defacing of G20 infrastructure including posters. It is on that note, that we request everyone within the borders of South Africa to cooperate with law enforcement officers at all times, to enable us to deliver a successful event.”
WATCH | NATJOINTS briefing
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Boots on the ground
With the maximum resources in place, law enforcement is prepared and ready to police the event with fit for purpose members.
“Together with various law enforcement agencies including the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) and the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD), we are executing and implementing the security plan accordingly, with more boots on the ground,” she said.
Accreditation
With regard to the access to the venue, Lt Gen Mosikili said only those in possession of valid accreditation will be allowed near the venue and restricted areas.
“Therefore, those who are still without accreditation which includes officials and members of the media are advised to obtain a non-transferable accreditation,” she said.
She warned that those found with fraudulent accreditation or using another person’s accreditation, will face the full might of the law.
“No accreditation card, no entrance to the venue,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za
The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Ministries of Agriculture and Land, Water and Environment, as well as UN partners, has commenced the World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week campaign under the theme “Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future.” The campaign is scheduled to take place from 17 to 24 November.
At the launching event held on 17 November at the National Confederation of Eritrean Workers Hall in Asmara, representatives of partner institutions delivered messages of support.
At the event, discussion papers were presented focusing on Multi-Drug Resistant Klebsiella Pneumoniae, a cross-sectional study conducted on bacterial pathogens and outcomes, and investigations into antimicrobial resistance patterns in urinary tract infections. The participants, for their part, conducted extensive discussions on the papers presented.
Speaking to Erina, Dr. Mulugeta Russom, Head of Drug Side-Effect Management at the National Medicine and Food Administration and coordinator of the program, said that the objective of the event is to enhance the awareness of health and agricultural professionals as well as the public at large to ensure the proficient use of medicines and antibiotics.
Dr. Goitom Mebrahtu, Director General of Medical Services at the Ministry of Health, said that this year’s theme calls for urgent and collective action on antimicrobial medicines to safeguard the health and well-being of future generations.
Former Deputy President and co-convenor of the G20 Social Summit, Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, has issued a call to action to forge a new path for Africa while harnessing its natural endowments.
Mlambo-Ngcuka was speaking during the opening ceremony of the summit held at the Birchwood Hotel in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng on Tuesday.
“Africa is not poor. It has more than 50% of the world’s arable land so we shouldn’t be having poverty and hunger. Africa is not poor. We should be able to industrialise because we have 30% of the world’s critical minerals. If Africa is not doing well, it is because we are not providing leadership.
“So, in these three days…all of us should look at how we start the new order with each one of us taking the responsibility to lead, governments, civil society, business and institutions. It is only when we lead together with purpose, that we’ll give birth to the Africa we want, the Africa we dream of,” she asserted.
The summit brings together a diverse range of formal and informal networks, including youth movements, women’s organisations, faith-based groups, organisations of persons with disabilities, community forums, and other grassroots structures who will deliberate on global issues that directly impact people’s daily lives.
“In planning the G20 Social [Summit], we wanted to make sure that in the deliberations…we come with initiatives that will be sustainable. We wanted to make sure that since this G20 is in Africa…it must [have] initiatives that will impact significantly on Africans.
“We as Africans must make sure that these are things we can do without dependency on many other contributors. Yes, we welcome solidarity but at the end of the day, we should take the responsibility for making changes,” she said.
A summit for all
The co-convenor reflected on South Africa’s Presidency of the G20 and its promise to leave no-one behind.
“When South Africa assumed the Presidency of the G20 during the [Leaders’] Summit held in Brazil in 2024, our President [Cyril Ramaphosa] made a promise that this Social Summit will continue.
“That in South Africa, we will host the Social Summit because we believe in the voices of civil society. We acknowledge that [the] programme would be nothing without the lived experience of those people…the people who, in many of our countries, make it possible for us to live and lead from day to day.”
She emphasised the importance of the outcomes of the summit, as a declaration is expected to be handed over to President Cyril Ramaphosa at the conclusion of the summit on Thursday.
“The outcomes of this summit must support the last five remaining years of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. We must also support the vision that is enshrined in [African Union] Agenda 2063.
“All of these has to be reflected in the choices that we make and the recommendations that we make. I would also want to encourage you to think about what will happen next year. How will we ensure that what we’ve decided here will not be lost along the way?
“We must ensure that we have provided a cushion for the Social Summit so that at some point, it can reemerge in the format that we want to continue to grow,” Mlambo-Ngcuka said.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile addressed the opening of the summit where he urged global leaders to recognise the significant impact of their decisions on humanity’s future.
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Amanda Gouws, Professor of Political Science and Chair of the South African Research Initiative in Gender Politics, Stellenbosch University
For democracies to function well, citizens have to trust their institutions. Every incidence of bad service delivery or corruption will influence how much citizens trust institutions.
The latest incident that will most likely shake confidence in South Africa’s political system, and specifically the police and the criminal justice system, is the accusation by General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, provincial commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal province, that members of these institutions are involved in organised crime. The accusations are being investigated by the Madlanga Commission and heard in parliament by an ad hoc committee.
General Mkhwanazi alleged that the police minister, other members of the South African Police Force and members of the judiciary interfered with the investigation he was leading into political assassinations. He alleged they attempted to close down the “political killings task team” because of their own links to organised crime.
Signs of corruption have, over time, eroded political trust among citizens in South Africa.
In this article we discuss the findings of the most recent survey by Afrobarometer, a pan-African research network, and two attitude surveys done by Citizen Surveys for the South African Research Chairs Initiative chair in Gender Politics. The data of the SARChI Chair will be made public once the research project is concluded.
Prof Gouws specialises in the construction of surveys and analysis of survey data and Dr Kupolusi is a statistician who is her post-doctoral fellow and did the statistical analysis for this article.
The reports show a decline of trust over a four-year period. The 2022 Afrobarometer data supports the findings of our two attitude surveys.
Citizens have to trust a political system if they are to accept its legitimacy and support it. When they see the system as legitimate, citizens are more willing to obey the laws of the country. They then support the rule of law.
Political trust and legitimacy
We understand “political trust” as it was conceptualised by David Easton, an American political scientist, in 1975. It is the perceived likelihood that the political system will deliver public goods without having to be closely scrutinised by citizens. Political trust is closely linked to the concepts of political support and legitimacy.
These three concepts relate to each other in the following way. Support for the political authorities or a regime will typically express itself in two forms: trust or confidence in them, and belief in their legitimacy.
Trust is present when citizens feel that their own interests would be attended to even if the authorities were exposed to little supervision or scrutiny. Legitimacy is present when people believe it is right and proper to accept and obey the authorities, and abide by the requirements of the political system.
Trust and legitimacy are therefore distinct concepts. Trust is measured through political support for the regime and its authorities. Easton distinguishes between two types of support.
Diffuse support is a reservoir of positive attitudes and goodwill towards the regime as a whole, its underlying principles, and the larger political community. Diffuse support is more durable than specific support, which is trust in the incumbents of the political system.
Research has shown that levels of trust in institutions like parliament, parties and courts far outweigh judgements on national and personal economic well-being. Economic performance is more important in high income countries, but trust in institutions, coupled with free and fair elections, is more important in newer democracies.
Declining levels of trust
In this article, through the use of different surveys conducted at different points in time (2018 and two different surveys in 2022), we show how institutional trust has declined over time in South Africa, to the detriment of the political system.
We also show that there’s a gender gap – that men and women differ in their attitudes towards the rule of law.
The most recent Afrobarometer survey (Round 9, 2022) had a national sample of 1,582 respondents. It found “no trust” at 66% for the police, 73% for parliament, 75% for the ruling party and 72% for opposition parties. It is only for the courts where “no trust” is below 50%.
Afrobarometer’s findings corroborate those of our own surveys, done in 2018 and 2022 by Citizen Surveys, a survey company in Cape Town. The survey was conducted with a national stratified sample of 1,300 respondents in all nine provinces and translated into seven languages. The interviews were done face to face by the fieldworkers of Citizen Surveys.
What our surveys show are declining levels of trust over time in the most important institutions of the police, parliament and political parties, with “no trust” in all of them over 50%.
Frequency table of trust and Afrobarometer.Author
When it comes to the rule of law our 2022 data showed that 45.8% of respondents said it was “not necessary to obey the laws of a corrupt government”, 69% indicated that it was fine to “get around the law as long as you don’t break it”, 62% agreed that it was fine if “the law is suspended in times of emergency” and 50.4% thought it was “better to ignore the law and solve problems immediately than wait for a legal solution” (vigilante justice).
What surprised us was the difference between the attitudes of men and women for the rule of law in our 2022 data. For “it is not necessary to obey the laws of a corrupt government” 44% of men agreed vs 47% of women. For “it is all right to get around the law as long as you don’t actually break it” 65.6% of men agreed vs 71.4% of women. For “suspending the law in times of emergency” 61.2% of men agreed vs 63.5% of women. And for “sometimes it is better to ignore the law and solve problems immediately” 46.2% of men vs 53.4% of women agreed.
What this shows is that women are more militant in their attitudes towards (breaking) the rule of law – findings that were quite unexpected. It seems that women, who are often at the receiving end of crime, have had enough.
What needs to happen
Declining trust and support for the rule of law undermines the legitimacy of government. The courts have been a beacon of legitimacy but even for courts the level of “no trust” is close to 50%.
A serious problem is that citizens do not distinguish between institutions (diffuse support) and incumbents (specific support). This means that corrupt officials undermine trust in institutions (such as the police, parliament and political parties).
A decline in specific support affects diffuse support – that reservoir of goodwill toward institutions. When corruption is not dealt with, erosion of trust in institutions is a consequence of the behaviour of incumbents.
Political trust and support for the rule of law are important in democracies to sustain stability, and so that citizens will not start to look for alternative ways such as protest or political violence to make their demands known to those who govern them.
– South Africans have lost trust in the police, in parliament and in political parties – what that means – https://theconversation.com/south-africans-have-lost-trust-in-the-police-in-parliament-and-in-political-parties-what-that-means-268804
The role of UK technical and service collaboration in Africa’s energy future was underscored at the Wider African Energy Summit (WAES) in Aberdeen on Tuesday, where operators and industry leaders emphasized the strategic value of North Sea engineering, offshore delivery experience and workforce training for Africa’s next phase of growth. As African states work to accelerate gas monetization, streamline project execution and improve emissions performance, the UK’s mature ecosystem offers practical tools and capabilities to meet those needs.
Nigerian independent Seplat Energy provided a frontline view of how targeted investment and technical capability can reshape a national energy system. The company’s revitalization of OML 40 – transforming a shut-in onshore field in the Niger Delta into a producing asset – demonstrates how focused operational investment can restore output while creating new openings for global service providers, including UK firms.
“Our ambition is to be the cornerstone producer of gas in Nigeria. The real growth lies in transforming the country’s energy supply chain,” said Jason White, General Manager for Exploration. He highlighted opportunities across power generation and LNG exports and noted that ongoing IOC divestments are creating space for domestic players that can deploy capital and technical expertise with greater agility than the majors.
African Energy Chamber (AEC) Executive Chairman NJ Ayuk offered a continental perspective on maintaining pace and competitiveness, noting that North Sea expertise has already shaped many African projects and remains vital as the continent works to scale production efficiently. “What you have developed here [in Aberdeen] can transform our continent,” said Ayuk. He stressed that Africa intends to develop all viable hydrocarbon resources, supported by skills, technology and services that enable efficient, lower-carbon operations. He also cautioned against policy approaches in mature markets – such as limits on exploration or slowed licensing – that could indirectly undermine African oil and gas investment. “We’re not against the transition – it just has to be just, orderly and fair,” he said.
Speakers also pointed to delivery models that can accelerate timelines while supporting lower-carbon operations – an area where UK expertise is particularly influential. For FPSO specialist Altera Infrastructure, long-term lease-and-operate structures are enabling earlier first oil while contributing to skills development. “All of this can become a training ground for local engineers,” said Stig Bøtker, Director of Business Development. Altera’s work with Eni on Ivory Coast’s Baleine field – delivering the first FPSO in 18 months after FID – was cited as evidence of what standardized systems and experienced service partners can achieve. Bøtker added that modern FPSOs are increasingly equipped to support lower-emission operations through improved gas management and reduced flaring.
Such models align closely with the UK’s strengths in offshore engineering, project management and safety standards, presenting clear opportunities for expanded service collaboration. “This is a symbiotic relationship – the needs of an emerging market met by a mature industry ready to look further afield,” said AFBE-UK Co-Founder Ollie Folayan. He urged the UK to leverage its global reputation for engineering education and professional development and to “expand its influence beyond the North Sea while simultaneously helping to solve the problems of the energy trilemma.”
Organized in official partnership with the AEC, the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the Energy Industries Council, the Scottish African Business Association, the UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce and the Global Underwater Hub, WAES showcases Africa’s most compelling oil and gas opportunities to the UK and European supply chain while providing a platform for new partnerships and investment.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.
