24 - 25 May 2023

The Angolan Government has announced that they will create a regulatory body for the hydrocarbons sector in 2019 – Will this further encourage UK companies to invest in Angola?

The pace of change and reform generally since the election last year has caught the attention of many in the UK. The creation of a hydrocarbons regulatory body will undoubtedly add to this and I expect to see a further uptick in enquiries from UK stakeholders. Whether or not this interest will be followed by actual investment is of course dependent on a number of market factors. But the signals being sent out internationally by Angola are more positive now than they have been in a number of years, and I am keen to amplify them in the UK to encourage further investment.

The UK is one of the largest investors in Angola currently. In your view, how can British companies work with government more to increase local skills and training across the O&G value chain?

President Lourenço name-checked the UK as a partner-of-choice during his inauguration speech last year. Our offer extends to Education and Training (particularly English language for specific professional needs), not least in the O&G value chain. The UK houses some of the world’s best skills training institutions focusing on oil & gas, in both the private and public sectors. Private sector training companies operating out of the UK ,including Falck, Petrofac and Jee (subsea engineering training providers), are complemented by public sector institutions such as ASET International Oil and Gas Training Academy, Forth Valley College and City of Glasgow Colleges. Such institutions offer skills training at many levels from short courses to graduate entry level, in such fields as oil & gas engineering, maritime training and power production. So a broad range of education providers stand ready to assist Angola to upskill its domestic talent pool, both here in Angola and in the UK. I would encourage those in the sector with training requirements to reach out to my commercial team, who can provide details of the UK offer.

Why is the Africa Oil & Gas Local Content conference of value to companies seeking to expand their business portfolio into Africa’s petroleum sector?

Knowledge sharing and awareness raising of the opportunities, and challenges/barriers, in Angola and the region are key. Angola is diversifying its economy, but clearly the hydrocarbons sector remains of huge importance to enable the country’s economy to support the government’s social and economic reform agenda. I look forward to hearing views on the progress of reforms, thoughts on how the future should look, and to learning more about how we can all contribute to the sustainable development of the sector in the coming years.