Your Excellency Ghulam Hoosein Asmal, Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to the State of Qatar and President of the African Group of Ambassadors,
Your Excellencies Ambassadors,
Esteemed representatives,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am honoured and deeply grateful for the esteemed invitation to address the respected African Group of Ambassadors and to share insights from the 7th Gas Exporting Countries Forum Summit of Heads of State and Government, which took place from the 29th of February to the 2nd of March, in the historical and splendid city of Algiers.
The Summit was a great success, marked by an unprecedented turnout with 19 member countries in attendance, 10 of whom were represented by their Heads of State. Additionally, there were 4 guest countries and 5 intergovernmental organisations present, further enhancing the significance of the event.
In addition, a record-breaking number of side-line events were organised.
Furthermore, the Republic of Senegal application for accession as observer member has received unanimous approval.
I would like to convey our sincere gratitude and heartfelt appreciation to the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria for their gracious hospitality and outstanding arrangements. Their meticulous attention to detail not only showcased the rich traditions of Algerian hospitality but also provided an exceptional setting for our proceedings.
Additionally, I would like to extend my gratitude to His Excellency Ambassador Salah Attia for his invaluable support and assistance.
Before diving into the outcomes of the Summit, I am delighted to present a brief video showcasing the significant moments and events that transpired.
VIDEO
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Summit was marked by a positive and constructive atmosphere, reflecting a deep sense of unity, cooperation and solidarity.
The key outcome of the Summit, the Algiers Declaration, was prepared by an ad hoc working group composed of member country high level representatives and chaired by Algeria. It was unanimously adopted by the leaders of the GECF member countries.
The Declaration is positive, inclusive, comprehensive, and forward-looking.
With the motto “Natural Gas for a Secure and Sustainable Future”, the Declaration embodies the unified and consensus-driven commitment of the member countries to promote natural gas as an essential element of economic growth, social progress, and environmental protection.
Indeed, the Declaration highlights the essential role of natural gas in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, combating climate change, and facilitating equitable, inclusive, and orderly energy transitions. Additionally, it emphasises the importance of natural gas in ensuring food security, given its significance as a primary input in fertiliser production.
The Declaration reaffirms the sovereignty of member countries over their natural gas resources, their dedication to the objectives of the GECF, and their resolve to strengthen the Forum’s role and contribution to global energy security, energy equity and energy sustainability.
It emphasizes the GECF’s goal to foster strong and meaningful dialogue with producers, consumers, and other relevant stakeholders, with a view to ensuring both demand and supply security, promoting market stability, and advocating for open, transparent, unhindered and non-discriminatory natural gas markets.
Notably, it resolved to enhance GECF's global visibility, membership, expertise, and cooperative mechanisms to position it as a premier platform for dialogue and cooperation on natural gas.
Additionally, the Declaration places a significant focus on collaboration in technology among member countries to advance research, innovation, and capacity building, facilitated through the GECF Gas Research Institute.
It advocates for timely investments in natural gas infrastructure and emphasizes the critical need for unrestricted flow of financial resources, access to technology, and sharing of knowledge in a non-discriminatory manner.
It reaffirms the importance of medium and long-term natural gas contracts, equitable and stable natural gas prices, and sustained investments in natural gas for enhancing energy security and facilitating the development of resilient energy systems.
Member countries notably expressed their strong support for African countries in their aspirations and commendable efforts to tackle energy poverty, address the challenges related to energy access and promote sustainable, equitable and inclusive socio-economic development while protecting the environment, in line with the United Nations 2030 Development Agenda and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Furthermore, the Declaration denounces unilateral economic restrictions carried out without the prior approval of the United Nations Security Council, as well as any extraterritorial application of national laws and regulations targeting GECF member countries.
In this context, the Declaration opposes the use of climate change as a justification for implementing measures that impede investments in natural gas projects. It also rejects any artificial interventions in natural gas markets, including attempts to alter the price discovery and risk management functions of markets, or the imposition of politically-driven price caps.
Last but not least, the Declaration stresses the crucial importance of protecting natural gas critical infrastructure, including cross-border infrastructure, to ensure its reliability and resilience, as well as the importance of international cooperation in risks reduction, prevention, and protection from natural disasters, technological mishaps, and man-made threats, including deliberate attacks and malicious use of information and communication technologies, as appropriate.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,
As previously mentioned, several significant sideline events took place during the summit.
Among them, the inauguration of the offices of the GECF Gas Research Institute stands out. The GRI serves as a platform for collaboration in natural gas technology. Conducting research and offering advanced training opportunities for experts from our member countries.
In addition, we were pleased to complete the signing of Memoranda of Understanding with two key dialogue partners, specifically the African Energy Commission (AFREC) of the African Union and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA). These agreements pave the way for collaborative efforts in energy market analysis, data and technology exchange, and the development of decarbonisation strategies.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,
African countries play an important role in the global energy landscape, and indeed, in the affairs of the GECF.
Since taking office, we have been privileged to welcome three new African countries to the Forum – the Republic of Mozambique, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, and the Republic of Senegal.
I wish to reiterate our sincere congratulations for Mauritania, Mozambique and Senegal, and convey our best wishes for peace and prosperity and all the success in the development of their natural gas resources.
We now proudly count nine distinguished countries from the African continent among our family, representing nearly half of our membership.
Collectively, these 9 countries hold over 15 trillion cubic meters of proven gas reserves, accounting for an impressive 94% of Africa's gas reserves. Furthermore, these countries contribute 245 billion cubic meters of annual gas production, which constitutes 94% of the continent’s total gas production.
Africa already plays a considerable role in global gas trade, as a major supplier of both pipeline gas and LNG. The pipeline network from North Africa serve as a crucial supply route for European market, while the region’s LNG exporting capacity significantly contributes to the global LNG trade. Moreover, Africa’s gas production is to become one of the main drivers of incremental global natural gas supply in the medium to long term.
Conversely, Africa’s primary energy consumption remains at a relatively low level. Natural gas is the leading source of electricity generation on the continent, contributing 40% to the total power mix. Biofuels and waste dominate the final energy consumption, accounting for 52%, while natural gas represents only 8%. Given the vast natural gas reserves in Africa, there is undoubtedly great potential for growth in natural gas consumption, which could help alleviate energy poverty and foster social and economic development across the continent.
The GECF stands firmly beside our African partners in addressing these challenges. The Forum presents a distinct opportunity for collaboration among member countries across various segments of the gas markets. It serves as a platform for exchanging expertise, best practices and technologies, harnessing collective experience to drive sustainable development.
Developing dialogue with Africa’s consuming countries is also one of our strategic objectives.
On the 12th March, we will unveil the new edition of our flagship publication the Global Gas Outlook, which analyses future energy pathways up to 2050.
We would be delighted to share our insights on Africa’s future energy pathways at a future meeting of your Club, at your convenience.
Once again, thank you very much for your gracious invitation.