Introduction

Once again, the Catholic Church in Africa is celebrating SECAM Day with gratitude – the day on which the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) (www.SECAM.org/) was founded by African Bishops. SECAM is continental body of liaison, study and consultation created to preserve, encourage and promote communion, common action and collaboration between all the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, and with the precise mission of completely evangelizing the continent and its islands.

This year, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the canonization of the Martyrs of Uganda (1964-2024), we are celebrating SECAM Day in a very special way. In fact, it was after the solemn celebration of Mission Sunday on 18 October 1964, when the 22 Martyrs were canonized in Rome in the presence of all the participants at the Second Vatican Council, that Pope Paul VI decided to visit Uganda.

This historic visit, the first by a Pope to Africa, took place from 31 July to 2 August 1969. It had been preceded by the first meeting, the first symposium of the Catholic bishops of Africa in Africa, which took place at the Pastoral Institute in Gaba, Uganda from 29 to 31 July. The act of creating SECAM took place on 29 July 1969 and presided over by my predecessor, His Eminence Paul Cardinal Zoungrana, mentor and first president of SECAM. Therefore, 29 July is SECAM Day.

On the same day as his arrival in Uganda (31 July), Pope Paul VI presided over the closing ceremony of the first African Bishops’ Symposium. In giving his blessing at the official launch of SECAM, he left this immortal legacy: “You Africans are Missionaries to Yourselves”.

‘You Africans are Missionaries to Yourselves’

Today marks 55 years since Pope Paul VI uttered this noble and meaningful phrase, and the Church in Africa has taken this pronouncement very seriously. In fact, since that historic pontifical visit to the present day, the Church in Africa has grown a lot and in many ways. Today, the Catholic Church in Africa represents about 18% of the African population, with around 256 million believers and it is in Africa where the Catholic Church is experiencing record growth.

The Catholic Church in Africa has taken root and is now an adult Church: most of the hierarchy in Africa now comes from indigenous clergy, both secular and religious, and there is a growing number of African religious involved in leadership positions in these international missionary societies. An increasing number of African diocesan priests are beginning to make themselves available for limited periods as fidei donum. The African provinces of religious institutes of pontifical right, both male and female, have also seen an increase in members. The number of dioceses is increasing and each diocese has created regular diocesan structures: church buildings, educational establishments and health centers, religious institutes, seminaries and religious formation centers.

The Catholic Church in Africa has been a champion of human development. In many places, the Church makes up for State deficiencies, without which there would be no life, no hope and no future. In the absence of State provision, the Church is concerned with the education and health of its people, providing training centers, hospitals and health centers. The Church has been involved in the work of being the voice of the voiceless and advocating for the reduction or cancellation of the unjust debt burden of the African people.

The Church in Africa is vibrantly building herself up as the Family of God and enriching herself with the experience of Small Christian Communities, which are the hallmark of the Church of Jesus Christ in Africa and its islands.

The Church in Africa is a Missionary Church

Despite this remarkable growth, Africa continues to hunger and thirst for Jesus and the Gospel. In fact, Christians are 30% of the African population (18% Catholics and 12% other Christian denominations). So, since/as there are millions of African people not yet evangelized, it is absolutely necessary and urgent for the Church in Africa to commit herself to the task of the first proclamation, because ‘revealing Jesus Christ and his Gospel to those who do not know him has been, since the morning of Pentecost, the fundamental programme that the Church took on as received from her Founder’ (Instrumentum Laboris – Special Assembly for Africa of The Synod of Bishops,10 April-8 May 1994, n. 24). 

Although it respects and esteems the non-Christian religions professed by many Africans, the Catholic Church in Africa feels it is its duty to proclaim Jesus Christ to these non-Christians, because they too have the right to know the riches of the mystery of Christ (EA, 47).

This mission of being a missionary Church in Africa includes the task of the new evangelization of those already baptized. In fact, it is necessary to help those already baptized to maturity of faith and in their conviction in following Christ, so that they remain firm, even in times of crisis, and avoid looking for solutions either in African Traditional Religions or in Independent Churches.

In this mission to evangelize our continent, the aspect of inculturation of the Gospel and the Christian faith must always be taken into account. In fact, inculturation aims to enable people to receive Jesus Christ in an integral way, for it follows that the Gospel penetrates deeply into people’s hearts and minds. The Gospel message cannot remain alien to the people with whom it lives. It must take root and be reshaped in people’s thinking. It has to be integrated into people’s lives in such a way that it acquires a home in their culture, so that it can/and thus touch their whole lives in their own social environment.

The work of evangelization will only be effective if the Christian faith is deeply rooted in people’s way of life and touches people’s lives in the context of their culture. The lack of this process has reduced the once flourishing Christianity in North Africa to zero.

‘Be reconciled with God’ (2 Cor 5:20)

The African continent is full of problems: real poverty, political instability, violence, ethnic and religious conflicts, wars, terrorism, migration and refugees, bad governance, corruption, environmental degradation, trafficking in arms and drugs as well as people. There is despair and bad management of natural resources.

Before all these base situations, the Church in Africa is called to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ which is hope, peace, joy, harmony, love and unity (Ecclesia in Africa, 40), because our continent is still hungry for Jesus Christ, who is the only source of true reconciliation. The African Christian must take the Good News of Christ seriously so as to radiate that reconciling love of Christ, and at the same time become for others a source of peace and agents of reconciliation. 

In fact, it was in this vein that the African Synod emphasized that the proclamation of justice and peace is an integral part of the task of evangelization (Ecclesia in Africa, 107). A commitment to peace, justice, human rights and human promotion is also a witness to the Gospel when it is a sign of concern for persons and is directed towards integral human development (Kampala Document, 209). Evangelization must promote initiatives which contribute to the development and ennoblement of individuals in their spiritual and material existence and must denounce and combat all that degrades and destroys the person (Ecclesia in Africa, 70).

Therefore, every member of the Church-Family of God in Africa, is called to proclaim the Gospel of Hope wherever they are: Christians who are in positions where they exercise the power of the State, whether in the administration of public affairs or those who are activists in a political party. Those working in the field of economics must assume their responsibilities in accordance with the dictates of the Gospel and thus become the leaven that transforms institutions and society from within, making the structures of sin, violence, corruption and injustice disappear. Only in this way will the Church in Africa truly be the Family of God, where members are reconciled with God, with society and with each other: salt of the earth and light of the world, servants of reconciliation, justice and peace.

Rise up, Church in Africa, and Proclaim the Gospel to the World

The Catholic Church in Africa, born from the preaching of foreign missionaries, is also a Church in mission today, taking part in the evangelization of the world. In fact, the Church in Africa is aware that she is called to bear witness to Christ not only on the continent, because the Risen Lord also says to her: ‘You will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth’ (Acts 1:8).

Therefore, through her various members, the Church in Africa is supplying missionaries to other regions of the world and this includes diocesan priests, who make themselves available for limited periods as fidei donum.

In this Ad Gentes mission, as a gesture of recognition and gratitude, account should be taken of the European continent, whose missionaries have taken on the task of evangelizing the whole of Africa and which is now experiencing a decrease in personnel because of secularism that is driving more and more people away from the Church. The same attention is requested for the missionary-poor areas within our continent, especially in the north and south of Africa.

Conclusion: Synodal Church in Mission

The school of synodality reminds us of our call to evangelize the world and to walk together in the Church’s mission. Through Baptism, we all have an active part in the life and mission of the Church. The Church is in mission: she is being sent to the ends of the earth to proclaim the Good News of human salvation.

The Church in Africa, renewed by the synodal journey and cemented in the spirit of communion lived in the Small Christian Communities, is called, in listening to one another and to the Holy Spirit, to embrace the evangelizing mission until it reaches all kinds of peripheries, with new ardour, new methods and renewed structures.

I conclude by inviting all members of the Church-Family of God in Africa and its Islands to celebrate SECAM DAY with gratitude to God for the grace of this continental forum of ours. As you know, in accordance with the decision taken at the SECAM Plenary Assembly in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in July 2013, this day is also an occasion to talk about the Symposium, to enable Catholics throughout the continent and the islands to be better informed about the existence and mission of SECAM, and to invite them to identify with and support SECAM.

To this end, the celebration of SECAM Day is being moved to the nearest Sunday, when 29 July falls on a weekday, and a special collection is taken to support the activities of the Symposium. We, therefore, reiterate our call for prayers for the Symposium on Sunday, July 28 and Monday, July 29, 2024.

Happy SECAM DAY !!!

+ Fridolin Cardinal AMBONGO
Archbishop of Kinshasa
President of SECAM

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).

The Mauritanian British Business Council (MBBC) will partner with the MSGBC Oil, Gas&Power 2024 conference for the second consecutive year, linking British investors and companies with trade and investment opportunities in Mauritania.

The MBBC serves to promote sustainable development, share knowledge and best practices, and foster mutually beneficial partnerships between the two countries, offering guidance and support to UK businesses operating in Mauritania. The organization also leads trade missions to Mauritania and develops links with existing trade bodies and local chambers, supported by a robust network that includes British government departments, the Mauritanian Embassy in London and national and international organizations. Under the partnership, MBBC will promote energy investment opportunities to its members and attend the conference with a delegation of British businesses interested in entering or expanding within the Mauritanian market. 

Explore opportunities, foster partnerships and stay at the forefront of the MSGBC region’s oil, gas and power sector. Visit www.MSGBCOilGasandPower.com to secure your participation at the MSGBC Oil, Gas&Power 2024 conference. To sponsor or participate as a delegate, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com.

UK companies have played a sizable role in Mauritania’s oil and gas sector to date. British multinational bp is set to produce first gas from its Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) project, in partnership with Kosmos Energy, by the end of 2024. With reserves of one billion cubic feet of gas, GTA will establish Mauritania as a major hydrocarbon producer, using export revenue to develop future gas projects like the BirAllah field. Last September, British multinational Shell spudded the PanaCotta-1 well in hopes of finding oil in the promising Block C10 offshore Mauritania.

Mauritania also presents attractive opportunities for UK energy companies in the green hydrogen sector, offering a myriad of prospects for British project developers, service companies and investors. In November 2022, bp signed an MOU with the government of Mauritania to explore the potential for large-scale green hydrogen production in the country, with several commercial projects since launched. The country’s vast co-located solar and wind resources, coupled with its proximity to Europe, positions it as a strategic potential exporter of green hydrogen to the UK amid growing demand for sustainable energies.

“MBBC is a partner of choice for MSGBC Oil, Gas&Power 2024, as the core value of the event is to foster investment and business collaboration with foreign investors. The presence of a British delegation in Dakar, backed by the MBBC, will contribute to leveraging Mauritania’s extractive resources for regional energy security and global export,” says Sandra Jeque, Event&Project Director at Energy Capital&Power.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital&Power.

By NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber.

The major players on the world energy production stage are well known, and particularly in the field of oil and gas, where most of them have been in the game for a long time. In Africa, countries like Algeria, Nigeria, Libya, Egypt, and Angola have been in the business for decades, though much of their resource wealth remains untapped. When new discoveries come to light in nations previously unexplored or underexplored, one would think these more experienced countries would be able to out-hustle and out-muscle them when it comes to attracting investment dollars. However, recent experience shows that this is not always the case.

If there was a Rookie of the Year award in the energy business, it would go to the South American country of Guyana, hands down. Despite being the next-door neighbor of founding OPEC member Venezuela, most of Guyana’s potential 11-billion-barrel bonanza has only been discovered since 2015. Less than five years after its initial Stabroek Block discovery, U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil began producing oil through its Liza Phase 1 project — remarkably fast by industry standards. By April of this year, ExxonMobil had already approved its sixth oil development in Guyana, putting the country of just 800,000 people on track to someday surpass Venezuela in total crude production. The Latin American country is now one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

This is not the first time I’ve brought up Guyana in discussions about Africa, and there’s a reason for that. Namibia is currently in the same position Guyana was in just a few short years ago, poised to choose its road ahead. Recent discoveries in Namibia’s Orange Basin suggest it could hold up to three billion barrels of oil and 8.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and the country’s total oil reserves could be nearly equal to Guyana’s at around 11 billion barrels. Excitement around the newly discovered resources is high, and though oil and gas production still lie ahead, Namibia has become a leader in African oil and gas investment.

Shell (UK) and TotalEnergies (France), which made the major discoveries in the Orange Basin with partnering companies, have both committed substantial portions of their 2024 exploration budgets to ongoing activity in Namibia. Offshore exploration plans also have been announced by Chevron (U.S.), Azule Energy (a joint venture between Italy’s Eni and the UK’s bp), and Portuguese energy group Galp. Meanwhile, Reconnaissance Energy Africa (Canada) and Namibian state oil company NAMCOR have begun drilling an onshore oil and gas exploration well in northeast Namibia.

What Not to Do

The excitement about Guyana and Namibia’s resources is notably different than what we’re seeing in some of Africa’s other resource-rich nations. Take Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer by far. Despite colossal proven reserves of almost 37 billion barrels (the world’s total is 1.73 trillion), Nigeria is currently struggling to attract the $25 billion annual investment necessary just to keep its output at around 2 million barrels per day (bpd). Oil majors are divesting from Nigerian assets and diverting future investments to other countries, as TotalEnergies did when it announced $6 billion in new projects in Angola. A new exploration well hasn’t been drilled in Nigeria in more than 12 years. Why?

The most obvious reason is security. Nigeria is notorious for its environmentally disastrous spills caused by rampant oil theft, vandalism, and sabotage. The country’s inability to protect its most valuable economic asset — responsible for almost two-thirds of Nigeria’s revenue — is a constant threat to employee safety as well as the bottom line for oil producers, and it doesn’t help with public relations either. There may be a ton of money still beneath Nigerian soil, but it’s not going anywhere, so it simply makes more sense to go extract it somewhere safer until those problems get resolved.

The other major problem with operating in Nigeria is legal uncertainty. As TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné has said, the Nigerian legislature loves to debate oil policy but rarely ever settles anything, leading to inconsistent decision-making and an unstable and erratic policy environment. Lack of transparency in licensing rounds, slow and complicated contracting procedures that expire too quickly, insufficient incentives for gas projects, and local manpower requirements not backed up by the education system are all significant obstacles. In addition, local companies that take over abandoned assets are held to lower environmental standards than international companies, meaning the problems are getting worse before they get better.

Nigeria is now belatedly trying to address some of these issues (While the 2021 Nigerian Industry Act was a tremendous step in the right direction, implementation has been moving forward at a snail’s pace), but it has already spent much of the good will it was afforded in the past.

Charting a Better Path

So, what are Guyana and Namibia doing right, and what are the takeaways for Nigeria and other African nations? Let’s begin with Guyana.

First and foremost, it recognized the urgency of taking action to develop its resources quickly. The global energy transition to renewables will eventually reduce the demand for fossil fuels, but for now, the transition is just getting started, and demand for fossil fuels remains high. With much of the country covered in rainy jungles and limited open land for wind farms, Guyana simply isn’t blessed with the same potential for renewables as many other countries and must take advantage of what it has. Guyana was determined to sell while the market was still buying before it’s too late. It made a point of fast-tracking development and updating laws and regulations to speed up the development process and provide a stable, investor-friendly regulatory environment.

One of the most immediate benefits Guyana offers is language in its petroleum contracts that protect energy companies from negative impacts if the government makes legislative or regulatory changes, such as new tax codes. This is known as a fiscal stability clause, and it can significantly reduce the time required for contract negotiations and the risk of costly project delays by preventing sudden and drastic changes in regulatory status. (As I’ve written, Namibia does not currently offer fiscal stability clauses in its agreements, but it would be well advised to if it wants to accelerate development of its newly discovered oilfields.)

Guyana’s Petroleum Activities Bill, passed by the National Assembly in August 2023 to update the Petroleum Act of 1986, grants the Natural Resources Minister extensive authority to oversee exploration, production, and licensing, as well as responsibility to enforce the law and apply fines. It addresses shortcomings of the old legislation, such as transportation and storage of hydrocarbons from offshore to onshore and obtaining access to oil feedstocks for any future refineries to keep them running if domestic production falls short. The bill also includes safety and emergency response measures, supervision and monitoring requirements, capacity-building requirements for energy companies, and a cross-border unitization framework for developing reserves that cross international boundaries.

In addition, Guyana’s assembly also passed local content legislation in 2021 that enables international oil companies to communicate their needs to local businesses effectively, creating opportunities for them to grow and provide the producers with services and skilled, educated personnel. This is in contrast to Nigeria’s local content laws, which include quotas for hiring local people but lack the provision for means to fulfill them. Guyana continues to fine-tune this policy with input from the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Namibia’s Strong Start

Although Namibia is still at an earlier stage of development, it hasn’t just been watching from the sidelines. The government has already begun work to update its tax laws and provide an enabling environment for upstream activity. Officials from NAMCOR visited Guyana in 2023 to learn more about oil developments, including how to involve local business, raise public awareness, and expand port facilities. They also learned from Guyana’s growing pains, noting that some of the best advice they received was to take their time and do proper infrastructure assessment.

The country is also getting a head start on diversification, with major law firm ENS assisting the government to come up with a regulatory framework for green hydrogen development and energy transition strategies. While much remains to be done, Namibia already finds itself in good position to offer energy companies who are headed for the exits in Nigeria and elsewhere a soft place to land.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

International energy company Azule Energy – Angola’s largest independent equity producer of oil and gas – is developing the world’s first FPSO vessel that features carbon capture and storage (CCS) capabilities. The Agogo FPSO falls part of the broader Agogo Integrated West Hub Development in Block 15/06 and is expected to set a benchmark for sustainable oil and gas development across the region. Azule Energy’s CEO Adriano Mongini has joined the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energy 2024 conference as a speaker. During the event, Mongini is expected to provide insight into the company’s project pipeline, innovative infrastructure solutions and plans for expanding its presence regionally.

Azule Energy has set a target to increase production to 250,000 barrels per day (bpd) within the 2023-2026 period, leveraging new exploration campaigns as well as the development of large-scale projects to achieve this goal. The company signed Risk Service Contracts in December 2023 for Blocks 46, 47 and 18/15 – situated in the Lower Congo basin -, representing a step towards advancing deepwater oil and gas developments in Angola. Mongini will outline the company’s exploration plans at AEW: Invest in African Energy 2024, drawing insight into asset acquisition and future investments.

AEW: Invest in African Energy is the platform of choice for project operators, financiers, technology providers and government, and has emerged as the official place to sign deals in African energy. Visit www.AECWeek.com for more information about this exciting event.

With two billion barrels equivalent of net resources, stakes in 20 licenses and participation in the Angola LNG joint venture – operator of the Angola LNG plant – Azule Energy is both a strategic partner and competitive producer in Angola. One of the company’s largest developments is the Agogo Integrated West Hub development in Block 15/06, which is on track for production by 2026. The company aims to create a new production hub at the project, adding the Agogo FPSO vessel – currently under construction – to the block. With a capacity of 120,000 bpd and a gas injection capacity of 230 million cubic feet per day, the Agogo FPSO will join the active Ngoma FPSO to produce hydrocarbons from the Agogo and Ndungu fields. FID for the project was achieved in 2023.

Azule Energy is also the operator of the Cabinda Norte and Cabinda Centro blocks – situated onshore – and offshore Blocks 31, 15/06, 1/14, 18 and 28. Four FPSO vessels are also in operation with a capacity of 1.75 million bpd each. Meanwhile, Azule Energy is taking its expertise to regional markets. The company signed a farm-in agreement in May 2024 with exploration company Rhino Resources Namibia, securing a 42.5% interest in Block 2914A. Situated in PEL 85 in the Orange Basin, the asset is considered strategic given its close proximity to billion-barrel discoveries made in the basin since 2022. The agreement also represents the first international transaction by Azule Energy, reflecting its drive to develop oil and gas across the broader African continent.

On the natural gas side, Azule Energy is driving gas monetization efforts in Angola through its operatorship of the New Gas Consortium (NGC). The NGC is developing the country’s first non-associated gas project – the Quiluma and Maboqueiro fields – which will provide feedstock for the Angola LNG facility. Situated in the Northern Gas Complex in Angola, the fields will produce four billion cubic meters of gas per annum using two offshore platforms. The consortium made FID on the fields in 2022, with production expected to begin in 2026. Beyond the fields, Azule Energy is assessing future tie-ins to Blocks 2, 3 and 15/14, thereby ensuring the Angola LNG project has a steady supply of natural gas.

Beyond upstream projects, Azule Energy signed an agreement with Angola’s national oil company Sonangol in July 2024 to enhance decarbonization at the Luanda Refinery – Angola’s sole operating refining faacility. The parties agreed to assess the feasibility of constructing a biorefinery at the plant, with both Azule Energy and Sonangol providing technical and operational support. The refinery underwent an expansion in 2022, with the partners commissioning a new petrol production complex. The addition increased output from 395,000 liters per day to 1.5 million liters per day, aligning with Angola’s goal of becoming a regional hub for petroleum.

“Africa requires innovative, diversified oil and gas solutions in order to achieve energy security and drive industrialization. Companies like Azule Energy are making great strides in area by developing pioneering FPSO infrastructure and prioritizing production growth. The development of projects such as the Agogo Integrated West Hub development and the Quiluma and Maboqueiro fields will play a central part in increasing production in Angola,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.