Towards an ECOWAS Regional Petroleum Code

https://www.ecowas.int/towards-an-ecowas-regional-petroleum-code/


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Towards an ECOWAS Regional Petroleum Code


15/12/2021

The purpose of the workshop was to i) analyse and ascertain the validity of the information and data gathered by the consultant; ii) examine the diagnostic assessment of existing regulatory frameworks in the hydrocarbon sector, highlighting areas of convergence and divergence among the countries and the major challenges and problems; and
iii) outline main aspects of the regional petroleum code.





In his address during the opening ceremony, the Commissioner for Energy and Mines, Sediko Douka, on behalf of the ECOWAS Commission President, H.E Jean Claude Kassi Brou, empha-sized the importance of the validation workshop. He noted that the harmonisation of several general and specific provisions which govern the exploration and production of hydrocarbon in the ECOWAS region, will (i) facilitate the integration of the regional hydrocarbon market, (ii) offer greater opportunity for value creation, (iii) increase investments across the entire petro-leum value chain, (iv) give better structure to transboundary projects, and (v) enhance cooper-ation between Member States, among other things.

He also noted that the objective is to ensure that hydrocarbon resources are better developed so the petroleum industry can contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of the region. He further stated that the new energy policy for the region lays special emphasis on the use of natural gas at 31% of the energy mix, considering the huge potential recently dis-covered in the region.



In his official opening address, Mr Patrick Danho, Director for Hydrocarbon Monitoring and Regulation, representing Cote d’Ivoire’s Minister for Mines, Petroleum Resources and Energy, thanked the ECOWAS Commission for organising the workshop in Abidjan and welcomed the participants. He noted that a regional petroleum code will enable Member States to harmonise a number of laws that will attract further investments, establish healthy competition among stakeholders in one country and across Member States of the region, and foster the dynamic and integrated development of the petroleum industry in our Community.

Mr Danho further recommended a very objective approach in the code’s treatment of delicate issues such as transparency, environmental protection, rise in Government revenue, develop-ment of communities within the vicinity of oil fields, creation of added value across the entire value chain, among others.

After the official opening ceremony, the technical session of the workshop commenced with the analysis of the data collection report and its cross-sectional analysis. Conclusions drawn from this exchange will inform the drafting of the regional petroleum code over the coming months, ahead of a final adoption by the ECOWAS governing bodies in June 2022.

This Community text adds to the existing hydrocarbon texts already adopted by the ECOWAS Commission, which include the ECOWAS Hydrocarbons Development Policy, the regional im-proved energy supply programme, Regional Strategy for the popularisation of Liquefied Petro-leum Gas (LPG), Regional Guideline on the harmonisation of Fuel Specifications (petrol and diesel), among others.

The workshop was attended by petroleum ministry representatives from ECOWAS Member States, the representative of the African Natural Resources Centre of the African Development Bank (AfDB), petroleum industry specialised agencies in the region such as Petroleum Commis-sion Ghana, Autorité de Régulation du Secteur de l’Energie (ARSE), Niger, and Société des Pétroles (Petrosen), Senegal.