By Obas Esiedesa

The American Petroleum Institute, API, and the African Energy Chamber, AEC, have signed a memorandum of understanding, MoU, to collaborate on capacity building initiatives and standardization to enhance safety, environmental protection and sustainability in African countries producing natural gas and oil.

A statement by AEC on Wednesday said the MoU will facilitate collaboration between API and AEC members in several areas, including:

“Development of training programs and seminars; Coordination, collaboration and sharing of the natural gas and oil industry’s good practices for environmental, health, safety, security and sustainability; Organization of joint forums, conferences, roundtables, workshops, about energy issues and the continued multifaceted uses of natural gas and in the world’s energy future”.

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The statement added: “API is pleased to collaborate with the AEC to expand use of our world-class standards and programs to help enhance the safety, transparency and sustainability of natural gas and oil operations across the African continent,”

It quoted the API Segment Standards and Services Vice President Alexa Burr saying: “This is our first partnership with an African based organization, and we look forward to supporting AEC’s efforts to drive industry-wide technical knowledge.”

On his part, the US-Africa committee Chair of the AEC Jude Kearney said: “Our association with API is a milestone for the work we do, and we are confident we will see American ingenuity – a key component of the partnership between African producing nations and IOCs – at its best,”

“America has a tried, true and tested tradition of developing and deploying best-in-class standards, and industrial ingenuity to safely develop natural resources in America and around the globe. We also have a proud history of partnering with the earliest oil producing countries in Africa to create stable petroleum sectors and sustained economic contributions.

“Our goal is to work with the API to further support African nations and businesses to build technical capacity, harmonize standards and attract investment to help Africans monetize their resources and combat energy poverty while growing their economies while prioritizing safety and the environment.”

Vanguard News Nigeria