AEW: Moagi Named APPO CEOs Forum Chairman

Godfrey Moagi, chief executive of the South African National Petroleum Company, has been appointed as chairman of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO) National Oil Companies (NOCs) CEOs Forum.

The handover took place on Monday at African Energy Week in Cape Town, during APPO’s 8th Annual NOCs CEOs Forum, where Moagi succeeded Kwame Ntow Amoah of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation.

Moagi named refinery development, paired with viable markets, as his first priority.

“As I take on this role, we must talk about building refineries. We cannot afford to have refineries in every single country without also building credible, viable markets,” he said.

He pointed to the Strait of Hormuz, noting that a third of Africa’s energy demand passes through the channel.

“We must learn from what happened in the Strait of Hormuz — a third of our energy demand are routed through there, leaving us vulnerable. That is a vulnerability we must urgently fix.”

His second priority is accelerating the Africa Energy Bank so strategic projects can secure funding.

“We want to make sure the Energy Bank works, and that is going to depend on the people in this room,” Moagi said.

“The bank will help us fund the very projects we are struggling to finance when Western funders say they won’t fund us.”

The third priority is closer cooperation among African national oil companies to build technical skills.

“When confronting challenges, we must look across our borders for solutions,” he said.

“My three priorities will be underpinned by our people, and we must collaborate to develop the technical skills we need right here on the continent.”

Moagi said he would act as a convener for the continent rather than advancing South African interests.

“I intend to chair this forum as a convener for all of Africa, not as a representative for South African interests. I am an African before I am a South African.”

Amoah, the outgoing chairman, cited collaboration between PetroSA, a subsidiary of SANPC, and GNPC on Ghana’s offshore Jubilee Development as an example of shared strength.

“As a community, we must continue aligning on critical issues like access to capital and human resource development,” he said.

“With the upcoming launch of the African Energy Bank and the Pan-African Local Content framework in Brazzaville, we have clear mechanisms to drive deeper, long-lasting collaboration. We no longer need to develop projects in isolation: we must find ways to build together.”