Oil Africa 2008
                      17-19 March, Cape Town

Oil Africa 2008 fuelled by more than just hot air!

The biannual Oil Africa 2008 Conference will again highlight Cape Town’s success and development as a repair and centralised maintenance hub for the whole of western Africa.
The theme of this year’s Oil Africa conference which will take place at the Cape Town International Conference Centre, 17-19 March 2008, is Managing Change in African Oil & Gas Supply. Global interest in Africa and its role in global oil and gas supply is growing and Oil Africa 2008 gives the opportunity to explore the dynamics of global oil and gas demand, changes in strategies, skills and training, and various market specific content issues. More than 500 delegates are expected to attend the conference, while the two–day conference and three–day expo will provide a great opportunity to network with major regional and local players.

Cape Town, 19 March 2008 – The 3rd sub-Saharan oil, gas and petrochemicals
exhibition and conference, Oil Africa 2008, was held at the Cape Town Convention Centre from 17 to 19 March 2008. The event, which was a joint venture between Fairconsultants (conference and exhibition) and Exhibition Management Services (exhibition), highlit the opportunities for South Africa and Africa to localise supply to the oil, gas and petrochemical
sector on the continent and focused on Africa’s growing role in oil exploration and production and Africa and South Africa’s willingness and ability to meet the growing demand associated with the industry.
The theme, Managing change in the African oil and gas industry, was opportune as Africa’s oil industry is booming and high oil prices look set to continue. According to Paul Runge, Conference Director, Oil Africa 2008 was a huge success with a number of key issues being addressed with the importance of African oil supply and Peak Oil gained much attention and it was mentioned that the continent
could in future be supplying 25 % of the USA’s total requirement.
‘Oil Africa 2008’ also provided the platform for heated debate and discussion around the suggestion that by 2012, world demand for oil will be a third higher than in 1996 and the implications thereof for the global economy of the USD 110 barrel.
Mr Chris Skrebowski Researcher at the Energy Institute in the UK remarked, “Eventually we will have to live on what we
discover each year.” Predictions for the end of world oil supply varied between 2010 and 2030 and continue to spark controversy and concern.
Angolan and Nigerian speakers stressed the importance of local content and the need to ensure that the oil producing countries in Africa derive maximum benefit from this oil boom, by way of promotion of local support industries and services. The proliferation of indigenous independent oil countries was noted and a Ghanaian delegate mentioned that the number of such companies operating
in his country had increased from five in 2001 to 32 today. Ghana as a new oil country is following a clear strategy and legal framework to ensure that the country obtains optimal advantage from its new oil status. This framework needs to be adopted by other burgeoning oil states to prevent individual states from isolating their skills, environmental abuse and politicising the oil industry.
The Chinese speaker, Mr Zhiming Zhao, Executive President of the China Petroleum and Petro-Chemical Industry Association described his country’s strategic oil-related investments in Africa and underlined the competitive pricing of Chinese suppliers. Mr Zhao further stated that China wants up to 40 percent of its oil and gas imports to come from Africa in the next 5–10 years!
President of the South African Bio-fuel Association, Mr Andrew Makenete, addressed the conference on bio-ethanol and bio-diesel prospects. It was pointed out by delegates that only some 2 % of the world’s requirement was coming from these sources. Makenete noted that bio-fuels could contribute to the overall energy solution even if this renewable energy did not provide a total solution to the oil crises itself. “It’s an enhancer rather than a substitute” said Makenete about the role that bio-fuels could play.
The South African representatives, including those from the South African Oil and Gas Alliance (SAOGA), pointed to the infrastructure improvements at Cape Town harbour and Saldanha that will better enable the Western Cape to play its intended role as an oil and gas supply and logistics centre for Africa, and specifically the Gulf of Guinea. References were made to the A-Berth Repair Facility Project and the proposed oil and gas dry dock in Cape Town all of which will lead to continued employment and skills development, although there was strong debate over the need to fast-track South Africa’s skills requirements but not at the expense of not meeting international standards which are an imperative.
The South African Oil and Gas Alliance (SAOGA) has initiated a skills development project focusing on specific South African critical skills shortages within the oil and gas sectors. Its Skills Development Unit was established in November 2007. It is hoped that 408 trained and skilled artisans will be produced by 2010. The upgrading of welding
skills was also mentioned as an urgent requirement.

il Africa 2008 is designed to converge the viewpoints of senior government officials and operators from the main oil-producing countries of sub-Saharan Africa with those of their international partners involved in exploration and production. “It achieved its objectives”, Runge said, “which were clearly demonstrated by the increased participation
from delegates from countries outside of South Africa such as Nigeria, Angola, Ghana, Madagascar, China and the United Kingdom.”

John Thomson of Exhibition Management Services, Oil Africa’s Exhibition Director commented
that the Oil Africa exhibition is now firmly established on the world calendar of Oil & Gas events, the exhibitor numbers had grown from 146 in 2006 to 182 in 2008. Multinational groups had signed up as sponsors and the visitorship has grown to representation
from 31 countries. Which augurs well for the next Oil Africa conference and exhibition scheduled for 2010.

About Oil Africa 2008
The Oil Africa project was initiated in 2003 with the first event held in March 2004. Developed and managed by South African business interests, the exhibition, conference
and workshops have been designed to facilitate the expansion of local industry in conjunction with international partners and suppliers.

il Africa 2008 is the 3rd Sub-Saharan Oil, Gas and Petrochemical exhibition and conference, which explores the dynamics of global oil and gas demands, changes in strategies, skills & training and various market specific issues. Oil Africa 2008 is the premier event designed to assist international partners & suppliers to develop and expand the supply of existing services and infrastructure that include rig maintenance and repair, engineering, marine, logistics and industrial services.
The main sponsors for the conference were PetroSA, SASOL, Baker Hughes, Uhde, Schlumberger, Forest Oil, South Africa Oil and Gas Alliance, SONANGOL, Petroleum Agency SA, SASDA, The South Africa – Angola Chamber of Commerce, Department of Trade and Industry, SAPIA, OPASA, The City of Cape Town, SA Capital Equipment, WESGRO, Western Cape Government and the Cape Regional Chamber.