A one-day conference focusing on opportunities in the Sub-Saharan African oil and gas industry will take place alongside next week’s Oil & Gas Africa 2014 expo, on 2 July 2014 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Oil & Gas Africa is a component exhibition of the Cape Industries Showcase (CIS) which includes the Maritime & Offshore Marine Africa Expo and the Refrigeration and Airconditioning Africa expo, and runs from 2 to 4 July 2014.

Interest in offshore and onshore oil and gas exploration in South Africa is set to increase dramatically over the next five years as extraction technology improves, and the need for an alternative source to the unstable Middle East region increases, says John Victor of conference organiser Fair Consultants.
“Exhibitors from technology-rich countries like India, Norway, Poland and the United States will be showcasing cutting-edge products and services specific to the oil and gas sector,” adds John Thomson of Exhibition Management Services, organisers of the expo. “Visitors and delegates can expect a wealth of technology and information updates on energy reserves, the changing regulatory regime in South Africa and a regional update on Sub-Saharan oil and gas business opportunities.”

Opportunities along South Africa’s Coast
“South Africa’s offshore areas have potential resources of many billions of barrels of oil and tens of trillion cubic feet of gas,” confirms Dave van der Spuy, Resource Development Manager at the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) and one of the speakers at the conference.  “We have seen a growing interest in exploration all along South Africa’s coastline, from west to east, and in the south, as well as the shale gas opportunities in the Karoo area. There is a vibrant upstream industry in South Africa, with more than nine seismic acquisition programmes over the last few years; companies have spent billions of Rands in exploration,” adds van der Spuy.

Sub-Saharan Africa
At the conference, Paul Runge, Managing Director of Africa Project Access, is scheduled to present a regional update on Sub-Saharan oil and gas business opportunities. “Over the past few years, the main focus in Mozambique has been the coal-rich Zambezi Valley. Now the discovery of abundant natural gas off the far north coast of the country has shifted attention,” says Runge. “Pemba is already seeing exponential growth and Palma, further north, will soon become a major area of activity.”