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The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) said at the weekend that it has long been looking for standard stadiums in the northern part of the country to host its competitions.
That problem, according to the Federation, has been solved by the Jolly Nyame Stadium, Jalingo, Taraba State.
AFN President Tonobok Okowa led the AFN on an inspection visit to the stadium shortly after the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC) in Taraba State final.
Speaking after the tour, Okowa, however, expressed sadness at the current state of the stadium, saying: "What I can say is maintenance.
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Him promising to use his office to promote the rehabilitation of the tracks for the tournaments that will be held in the near future.
Okowa, who revealed that the association is already drawing up plans to bring competitions to the state, said: “If the governor wants to do something for us, we'll be very happy.
I will love that AFN brings contests here.
It would be a good thing.
And we've been looking for places up north that can host track meets.
“We'd love to do that if you can.
It wouldn't cost that much,” he said.
Elated by Okowa's praise, Taraba State Director of Sports George Shitta said the NOC election has not only brought all sports presidents to the state, but has also helped expose the Jolly Nyame Stadium to everyone.
the world.
He assured the AFN that "before the end of the first quarter of next year, we will have a tournament here," adding that "it is a welcome development for sports and athletics in Taraba state.
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'It's good towards the 2024 Paris Olympics' Former Nigerian jumper, hurdler and sprinter Seigha Porbeni outlined the re-election of chief Solomon Ogba as first vice president of the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC) in Thursday's election held in Jalingo, Taraba State.
, so good for Nigerian sports, particularly in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Ogba, President of the Bobsled & Skeleton Federation, defeated Francis Orbih of the Badminton Federation with 24 votes to 16.
In the election, current NOC President Habu Gumel defeated his rival, Sani Ndanusa, a former Sports Minister, by 21 votes to 16.
19 Votes Gumel first emerged as NOC President in 2001 and served two consecutive terms until 2010 before return again in 2014.
Now he won another term in office.
Speaking to The Guardian yesterday, Porbeni, who is the head coach of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), stated that Ogba's re-election would go a long way towards repositioning the nation's sports, particularly athletics, towards the Games.
Paris Olympics 2024.
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“Ogba is very passionate about Nigerian sports, particularly athletics.
That's why we call him the Igwe of Nigerian sports.
His re-election as NOC First Vice President is a good step in the right direction.
Sure, he oversees the Bobsled & Skeleton Federation, but Ogba is doing a lot for our athletics.
His re-election will be a great benefit for us in the athletics family ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics,” Porbeni said.
Some sports analysts, who spoke yesterday about the NOC elections, praise Ogba for his foresight in discovering and training young athletes for the country.
The Guardian recalls that Ogba, a former president of the AFN, was a former sports commissioner in the state of Delta.
He led the Delta Team to win the National Sports Festival three times at Bauchi 2000, Abuja 2004 and Gateway 2006.
He finished second in the 2002 Edo edition of the festival.
At the recent Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, England, Ogba played a key role in ensuring that Nigerian athletes and officials had a smooth turnout.
Former Nigerian Tennis Federation (NTF) President Sani Ndanusa is among the candidates vying for various positions in the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC) election taking place today in Jalingo, Taraba state.
Ndanusa wants to overthrow the current NOC president, Habu Gumel, who is seeking to be elected for another term.
Former Nigerian Athletics Federation president Ibrahim Gusau, who previously indicated interest in the presidency, is not on the ballot.
Forty-two delegates are expected to determine the fate of the applicants.
Aside from those vying for the presidency, two candidates, Solomon Ogba of the Bobsled and Skeleton Federation and Francis Orbih of the Badminton Federation, are vying for the first Vice President spot currently held by Ogba. Ishaku Tikon of the Nigerian Table Tennis Federation is running unopposed for the second Vice Presidential spot, but the race for the third Vice Presidential spot has four candidates including Daniel Igali of the Wrestling Federation, Bamidele Ayoade of the of Tyre, Olumide Oyedeji, who is the Athlete.
Representative on the Committee and Mrs. Maria Wophill from the Athletics Federation.
The candidates for the position of fourth vice president are Ms. Hauwa-Kulu Akinyemi from the Table Tennis Federation, Air Commodore Rahinatu Garba from the Shooting Federation, Ms. Olabisi Joseph from the School Sports Federation, Ms. Rosaline Collins Okah from the Athletics Federation and Mrs. Nneka Ikem from the Curling Federation.
Four people are vying to replace Banji Oladapo as NOC Secretary General.
They include a former holder of that position, Hockey Federation's Tunde Popoola, Taekwondo Chief Jonathan Nnaji, Handball Federation's Dr. Esther Toyin Aluko and Nigeria Fencing's Samuel Adeyinka.
Incumbent Secretary General Banji Oladapo is not running for re-election, citing personal reasons.
Abdullahi Mohammed of the Archery Federation is the only candidate for the position of Deputy General Secretary, while three contestants, including Bappa Aliyu of Modern Pentathlon, Musa Kida of Basketball and Sunday Adeleye of the Athletics Federation, want to be the treasurer.
of the Committee.
The Public Relations Officer position has three candidates, including incumbent PRO, Fencing Federation's Oluphemmy Adetula, Triathlon's Tony Obiora Nezianya and Patrick Ibeh. The delegates arrived in Jalingo yesterday before the polls scheduled for today.
Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC) President Habu Gumel is proud to have led the body in securing regular scholarships for top Nigerian athletes to improve their performance.
Gumel, who is seeking re-election in the NOC elections scheduled for December 15, revealed that two Nigerian athletes, who excelled at the 2022 World Championships in Athletics, Tobi Amusan and Ese Brume, were under the patronage of the Olympic body.
He pointed out that the NOC, as an organ of the Federal Government, placed Amusan and Brume in a scholarship program since 2018 with annual stipends to date.
In collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), the NOC President added that the duo of Amusan and Brume are among 14 Nigerian athletes who will continue to receive NOC support until the Olympic Games.
of Paris 2024.
According to Gumel, the scholarship fund is from the IOC Solidarity Fund guaranteed by the NOC.
“We have 14 of our remarkable Grade A athletes in this scheme and we have never stopped giving them their training and school scholarships,” he added.
Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC) incumbent president Habu Gumel has vowed to engineer reforms to the committee if he is re-elected for another term.
Speaking at the weekend, Gumel said changes were needed to make the NOC more vibrant and more alive to the wishes of stakeholders, and insisted that the NOC's constitution would be revised to make the body more vibrant.
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Promising greater inclusion through the body's 10 commissions, Gumel said: “It's not an easy process, but we just have to get more people to come together to make the whole system stronger.
“There will be a review of the constitution and this will also be evaluated by the board, after which we will also take everything to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for approval.
"Each of the commissions has members in different areas such as technique, education, etc.
, but we want to encourage them to work better.
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On the upcoming NOC elections on December 15 in Jalingo, Taraba state, Gumel expressed optimism to get the go-ahead again.
, just as he spoke about the widespread suggestion that he has lost his voting rights in the IOC.
“People say that I am an ordinary member from Nigeria and that I cannot vote.
It isn't true.
There is no seat for other countries, there is nothing like that.
It is not like the United Nations or the African Union.
Please note that people are chosen in their country.
“I am a member in my own country, here it is the same, it is not a right, they have the right to choose from any country.
We have 54 countries, but we only have 15 IOC members, you can see the ratio.
“It is not automatic, it is not a right.
I am the one now pushing for additional members because some countries in Europe have two.
I am lobbying through my connections,” Gumel said.
Key stakeholders from Angola and Namibia evaluated the current role and future potential of Africa’s national oil companies (NOCs) during a strategic panel on the second day of Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) 2022 (http://bit.ly/3UyBCpP), as NOCs take concrete steps across the continent to increase efficiencies, cut costs, boost profitability, and transform into competitive, agile, and integrated energy companies.
Moderated by Manuel Mota, Partner – Assurance, EY, the panel comprised Patricio Vilar, Chairman of the Board of Directors, IGAPE; Baltazar Miguel, Executive Board Member, Sonangol; and E.P. Immanuel Mulunga, Managing Director, NAMCOR.
One of the most important reforms in Angola’s oil and gas (http://bit.ly/3AX1Wln) sector has been the Regeneration Program of national oil company Sonangol, which refocused its activities on the primary E&P value chain and repositioned the NOC to serve as a competitor to international operators.
Concluding its final phase in June 2021, the program has achieved several key successes – including raising its operating revenue year-on-year, completing new seismic acquisition, and launching several refining and storage projects – with its comprehensive restructuring serving as a model for other African NOCs.
“Within this process of restructuring the sector, we had a vision that Sonangol (http://bit.ly/3H1TmW6) should focus on its core activities and improve its performance.
The assets that were not core, we put aside,” said Miguel.
“We have opened privatization up to 30%, evolving to IPO.
This process has started.
We have launched an international tender where over 17 foreign institutions participated.”
“Our national oil company was not a parastatal – it was a state within another state,” noted Vilar.
“We have already privatized 84 state-owned companies.
Out of 60 industry units, we have practically privatized them all.”
The panel identified how NOCs can assess market readiness for privatization and how they can better compete with international operators in the free market.
“How ready is Sonangol for an IPO?
The practices of organizations listed on stock exchanges and the gaps that Sonangol has in its own practices have been identified, and a roadmap for the implementation of processes has been defined.
We are currently starting this implementation,” added Miguel.
For many African oil- and gas-producing countries, NOCs serve as the bridge between private and public sector interests and account for the lion’s share of government revenues.
However, African state oil firms continue to face financial constraints – often subsidizing government budgets – and require enhanced access to financing to catalyze their growth.
“Now that we have finally made discoveries and looked to find producing assets outside of Namibia (http://bit.ly/3VGCXuy), we have to go back to our roots and focus on our upstream.
We are talking to Afreximbank and other financial institutions to make sure we have the necessary capital required for investments in the upstream space,” said Mulunga.
“Traditionally, our revenue and asset base has been very small, but thanks to the discoveries and producing assets we are going after, there is an appetite to invest in Namibia.”
The panel concluded by exploring the future contributions of African NOCs in the sector and their leading role in nation-building and economic diversification.
In view of the global energy transition underway, panelists discussed how African NOCs can build more diversified and sustainable energy portfolios.
“We’re already producing 150 MW of clean energy,” said Miguel.
“We have been engaged in green hydrogen (http://bit.ly/3EOYavo) production with two companies.
We have a carbon project that has been coordinated with a local NGO.
We have several other initiatives that we have been able to implement within the energy transition.
The global banking system is requiring that we show via our projects what precisely Sonangol is doing on decarbonization and environmental protection.”
“If we don’t have a strong narrative on what we will do, then we won’t get financing,” stated Vilar.
“Let us not abandon what sustains us.
Let us continue maximizing what we have, while minimizing the ecological impact.
That should be our concern.”
With National Oil Companies (NOCs) ramping up asset acquisitions as International Oil Companies (IOCs) divest from African oil and gas, an African Energy Week (AEW) 2022 panel discussion (https://www.
.AECWeek.com/) on 'A Return to African Hands: Pragmatic local content, Africa content and assets transfer' explored the readiness of NOCs to develop such assets.
Moderated by Kwame Baah-Nuakoh, General Manager, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, speakers included Yemi Adetunji, Downstream Group Executive Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Ltd; Robin Sutherland, President and CEO of Baobab Energy Africa; Ejike Egbuagu, CEO/Founder, Coin Invest Africa; Tony Paul, Advisor to the African Development Bank; Dr. James Edet, President of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorers (NAPE); Jacinto Owono, Director - Local Content, Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons, Equatorial Guinea; and Ing. Fuad Mosa, General Supervisor of Local Content, Risk and Crisis Management, Ministry of Energy of Saudi Arabia.
As long-term concessions come to an end in some of Africa's most established hydrocarbon producers, and large companies begin to divest these assets, speakers explored whether or not African companies and technical staff are ready to capitalize on the opportunities still present in these assets, and the role local content plays in upskilling the workforce.
Kicking off the discussions, Sutherland stated that, “We can see big companies starting to talk about their energy transition, and now focusing on carbon emissions and leaving behind the expected fruit where local African companies can make a significant living.” .
This is a natural move and we are helping, starting as the operator in charge of getting the financing and then gradually helping him acquire the remaining skills he needed to take over the operation with us as a strong partner.” Expanding on this natural evolution, Dr. Edet stated that “a lot of experience is leaving the industry.
So who takes charge?
NAPE participates in all kinds of discussions about training and business, raising many young people.
We need to change the way we educate our students and youth.
Training and education are key.
According to Ing. Mosa, “The issue of local content and ensuring energy is key.
To secure energy sustainably, you need to think about local content.
You must first understand your value position.
Our leaders thought long term about leveraging our value position.
Based on this, we have established the right incentives to create demand.
Local content starts by creating demand.” Focusing on Nigeria, Adetunji emphasized that “the country's downstream sector is 100% Nigerian.
We have had the benefit of a long period of development.
Development has moved through the COIs and we have gained a lot of experience in this time.
Even when the big ones were in the country, Nigeria had 60% of these operations, so it was easy for us to take them on.
Now, with IOCs leaving the shallows to focus on deep offshore basins, the Nigerians are ready to take charge of this.” Meanwhile, Paul stated that he has “admired what Nigeria has done”, adding that “the level of projects allows you to invest in capacity.
First, you have the ability to oversee it: the regulator, and then you have the projects and capacity building.
Ghana has done something similar and is going ahead with setting up a regulator, but it has a small population with many projects.
The level of implementation is significantly based on the market base.
Regulatory frameworks provide clarity and consistency, but you need someone to oversee and enforce them.” Turning to Equatorial Guinea, Owono said: “When we started exploring, we didn't want to invent the wheel.
We sit down and plan the trip with people who have done it before.
In this way, we were able to implement our local content framework.
Now, we foster partnerships and create joint ventures with companies that have experience.
We feel that sooner or later we will take our destiny into our own hands.” With international oil companies moving forward with divestment strategies, prioritizing renewable projects over oil and gas, African NOCs and independents are rising to the challenge, with speakers providing insights on financing and the organization pushing local content in Africa.
According to Egbuagu, “We are facing the possibility of running out of funding, but we still need to develop.
So we need to think about how to channel African funds to African projects.
In order to scale and fulfill the interests that we have together, we need to recognize Africa as a bloc and be able to gather demand and then consider funding as a bloc.
We have coined the term 'African content' and we want African countries to embrace it.
We want to see Nigerian companies operating in Namibia, creating skills and transfer programs.
We created Moneda to be a bridge between banking and execution”.
The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) is calling for an extension of the sanctions on Russia and Belarus.
This has come amid the debate on the re-admission of athletes from these countries initiated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
It is still “inconceivable” for Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to the international competitions, the DOSB insists.
Both countries were sanctioned in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The DOSB mentioned the recent developments in the war, such as the partial mobilisation in Russia and the missile attacks “especially targeting the civilian population of Ukraine”.
It said these were reasons why the sanctions should stay in place.
The IOC recently launched a debate on the conditions under which athletes from Russia and Belarus could be allowed to return to competitions.
IOC president Thomas Bach spoke of possibly granting athletes who distance themselves from the war permission to compete again.
The DOSB, like a number of other European federations, is against this measure and is also calling for Russian and Belarusian officials to be banned “until further notice.
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Top representatives from both countries as well as their national Olympic committees (NOCs) have not been affected by the IOC sanctions so far.
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NewsSourceCredit: NAN
During the African Energy Week (AEW) Gala Dinner (http://www.AECWeek.com), which was attended by high-level energy stakeholders, including African Ministers of Energy and Hydrocarbons and major players in the global energy market, and sponsored by global energy and chemical company Sasol – The African Energy Chamber (AEC) announced the winners of the African Energy Awards 2022.
Representing the brightest people, innovators and projects Innovators driving significant positive change in Africa's energy industry, winners of this year's African Energy Awards included: NOC of the Year Award: NNPC Limited The NOC has been transformed into a limited liability company, with its upstream, midstream and downstream that serve as the backbone of the success of Nigeria's hydrocarbon market.
Gas Monetization Award: Gas Decade: Nigeria As a major effort designed by the Government of Nigeria to take advantage of the global energy transition, the initiative ensures that the country's natural gas resources are used to finance the country's energy transition.
Operational Excellence Leader of the Year Award: Perenco The energy company has introduced innovative oil and gas solutions to the region, designed to optimize upstream activities throughout the African market.
CEO of the Year Award: Proscovia Nabbanja, CEO of Uganda National Oil Company With almost 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, Proscovia Nabbanja has managed the business interests of the Government of Uganda with the utmost professionalism and innovation within of the oil sector.
while ensuring that the country's resources are exploited sustainably and profitably.
ESG Leader of the Year Award: bp The major has expanded its role as one of Africa's leading producers to become the continent's leading developer of low-emission gas projects.
Through various LNG projects such as BirAllah in Mauritania, Yakaar-Teranga LNG Hub in Senegal and Greater Tortue Ahmeyim FLNG, as well as a wide range of renewable energy initiatives, bp's commitment to ESG standards and practices cannot be understated.
Independent of the Year Award - Kosmos Energy Ltd. The independent focuses on a number of gas developments on the mainland; discover new oil systems and develop mature hydrocarbon basins to alleviate energy poverty in Africa.
Game Changer of the Year Award: TotalEnergies Namibia TotalEnergies Namibia represents an excellent opportunity for the country to maximize its natural resources in a sustainable and win-win manner.
African Person of the Year in Energy: Dr. Benedict Okey Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank).
In an era where wealthy nations are tightening funding for fossil fuels, Dr. Oramah has enacted a number of mechanisms to ensure that private sector investments are maximized in Africa's hydrocarbons industry to fuel growth in oil production.
industry.
Mohammed S.
Barkindo Lifetime Achievement Award – Recognizes the companies, organizations, projects and individuals who shape Africa's energy market success – Multiple award winners include Rodgers Beall, founder of Fortesa Africa; Ousmane Ndiaye, Permanent Secretary of COS-PETROGAZ; Pam Darwin, Retired Vice President, Sub-Saharan Africa, Exploration and Startups.
ExxonMobil; HE Bruno Jean Richard Itoua, Minister of Hydrocarbons, Republic of the Congo; Peter Kutemann, Founder and President of Dietsmann.
The African Energy Chamber (AEC) is proud to announce the return of the National Oil Company (NOC) Summit at Africa's premier event for the oil and gas sector, the African Energy Week (AEW) (https://AECWeek.com/), which will take place from October 18 to 21, 2022, in Cape Town. Following a successful edition of the NOC Summit at AEW 2021, this year's edition, under the theme "Exploring and Investing in Africa's Energy Future While Driving an Enabling Environment", will continue the discussion on the role NOCs play to boost investment in, as well as exploration and production of, Africa's hydrocarbon sector.
With oil production declining due to continued production declines from legacy projects in major African producing countries such as Nigeria, Libya, Algeria, Angola and Egypt, NOCs have an important role to play in leading and accelerating exploration activities to boost production.
In Nigeria, for example, Africa's largest crude oil producer, where production is projected to decline from 2023 and no major liquids projects are expected to be approved or commissioned in 2022, the National Oil Corporation Nigerian Petroleum (NNPC) has an important task.
play on increased exploration and gradual increase in production.
With the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act in 2021, the Nigerian government completely overhauled the NNPC, restructured the company and consequently redefined the role of the organization in the petroleum sector.
Since then, the NNPC has been operating on a commercial basis, driving exploration and production in a more market-oriented manner.
Furthermore, as the exit of large international companies such as TotalEnergies, Shell, Eni and ExxonMobil are expected to affect production in Africa, NOCs must ensure that production remains optimal despite divestment.
The NOC Summit aims to address these challenges, featuring discussions and presentations on how NOCs can increase oil and gas production across the continent.
In addition, investments within Africa's upstream segment continue to fall due to global climate politics and as such, a compelling need has emerged for African NOCs to reform business operations to attract investment.
Therefore, the NOC Summit at AEW 2022 will bring together African energy stakeholders, government representatives and private sector institutions to discuss best practices that will increase the flow of investments to boost energy production.
“African NOCs have an important role to play in driving investment and development across the energy value chain in Africa, and the NOC Summit provides an opportunity to discuss this role while addressing the challenges and opportunities facing the industry today.
Building on the success seen at last year's summit, the AEW 2022 NOC summit will build an Africa-focused narrative on oil, gas and exploration,” said Tomas C.
Gerbasio, director of strategy and business development at the African Energy Chamber.
In addition, Africa's NOCs have a critical role to play in driving the growth of the continent's gas economy, increasing collaboration with major financial institutions and stimulating development across the value chain.
Algeria's Sonatrach and Egypt's EGAS have been at the forefront in this regard, recently signing agreements with Italy's Eni for further cooperation to intensify local gas production to meet domestic demand, as well as to increase exports to Europe.
Despite having 125.3 billion barrels of crude oil reserves, one of the largest in the world, Africa exports most of its resources while importing refined products due to lack of investment and refining capacity.
As a result, more than 600 million people in Africa live in energy poverty and the continent continues to struggle with high energy prices and shortages.
Angola, for example, Africa's third-largest oil producer with 8.2 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, relies heavily on energy imports and spends more than $1.7 billion on imports to meet domestic demand.
Accordingly, the NOC Summit will address the role African NOCs play in this sector, emphasizing how state organizations in Africa can increase investments from both the public and private sectors to accelerate downstream development.
