The Role of African Energy in Driving Global Energy Security by the Kosmos Energy CEO at African Energy Week 2022

Andy Inglis, CEO of multinational exploration and production business Kosmos Energy, will attend and participate in African Energy Week (AEW) (AECWeek.com), Africa’s flagship event for the oil and gas sector, which will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, from October 18 to 21, 2022. Inglis’ participation at Africa’s leading investment platform for the oil and gas sector is critical for driving dialogue around the role companies like Kosmos Energy play in optimizing exploration and production across Africa’s rich basins, as one of the continent’s most active international oil and gas independents.

 

Prior to joining Kosmos Energy, Inglis had executive positions with companies such as Petrofac, a UK-based infrastructure developer, and TNK-bp, Russia’s third-largest oil producer. During his 30-year tenure with British Petroleum, Inglis oversaw the company’s exploration and production activities in Azerbaijan, Angola, Algeria, the Gulf of Mexico, Egypt, Trinidad, and the Asia-Pacific area. Inglis’ knowledge and know-how in managing exploration and production activities for multiple enterprises will be critical in the discussion on scaling up upstream activities in Africa at AEW 2022.

 

Inglis has led Kosmos Energy through a succession of production optimization services in Ghana and Equatorial Guinea, as well as infrastructure-driven exploration in proven basins in Equatorial Guinea, since taking over the CEO job in 2014. Under Inglis’ leadership, Kosmos Energy’s success in Equatorial Guinea led to an extension of the production sharing contract for Block G with Equatorial Guinea’s Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons – a development that will attract new investment and speed up exploration and production across the central African country.

The deal is a significant and positive development within the continent’s upstream sector at a time when Africa’s capital expenditure across the entire oil and gas value chain continues to decline, with Equatorial Guinea and other African countries like Ghana, Senegal, and Mauritania seeking to expand collaboration with international independents.

 

Meanwhile, Inglis will be essential in leading discussions on African gas, as Kosmos Energy is one of the co-developers of the massive Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) project, which is located on the coastal border of Senegal and Mauritania. In Africa, gas is a particularly attractive energy resource, with the ability to alleviate energy poverty and kick-start long-term socioeconomic progress while lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

As a result, AEW 2022 has made natural gas a prominent focus, emphasizing the resource’s importance in eradicating energy poverty and accelerating the transition to a clean energy future. Inglis will not only engage in industry-advancing conversations on gas at AEW 2022 in Cape Town, but he will also deliver project updates, highlighting the role GTA gas will play both in Africa and Europe.

 

Furthermore, at a time when African gas is becoming more valuable in global supply chains, owing to European countries’ desire to divest from Russian gas, projects like the GTA will be critical in addressing global energy security. With a slew of large-scale gas projects set to come online in the coming years — phase one of the GTA, for example, is set to start production in 2023 – European markets are keen to expand their trading ties with Africa.

H.E. Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, recently visited Senegal to explore possible pipeline improvements between GTA and Germany. While other countries look to Africa, AEW 2022 provides the right venue for signing deals, establishing trade agreements, and forming Africa-global collaborations that will usher the globe into a new era of energy security.

 

“We are honored and proud to host Andy Inglis, Kosmos Energy CEO, at AEW 2022 this year in Cape Town. Kosmos Energy is undertaking significant developments across the continent, particularly in the field of natural gas. As projects such as the GTA come online and European nations seek collaboration with African gas producers, companies such as Kosmos Energy will be instrumental in positioning Africa as a globally competitive gas market. AEW 2022 will be the place to sign deals and make decisions that will not only transform Africa’s energy landscape but global energy networks,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber (AEC).

Under the theme ‘Exploring and Investing in Africa’s Energy Future while Driving an Enabling Environment’ Inglis will participate in various summits at AEW 2022, driving discussions on gas, exploration and energy security.