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President Cyril Ramaphosa will attend and participate in the New Global Financing Pact Summit to be held in Paris, France on 22 – 23 June 2023 at the invitation of his counterpart, the President of the Republic of France, His Excellency Emmanuel Macron. 

Under the theme “Towards More Commitments to Meet the 2030 Agenda” the Summit aims to build a new contract between the North and the South, to facilitate access to financing by the vulnerable countries.

It builds on previous and ongoing work, which includes the Review of the Capital Adequacy Frameworks of the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs); The Bridgetown Initiative, the World Bank (WB) Evolution Roadmap; and the Vulnerable 20 (V20) Accra to Marrakech Agenda.

The Summit's ambition is to bring together several agendas: (climate, development, debt) and to propose innovative solutions to address these issues. This has been unpacked into the following objectives of the Summit:

I.  Increasing fiscal space and mobilizing liquidity.
II.  Unlocking finance for the private sector in Low-Income Countries.
III.  Scaling up investment in green infrastructures.
IV.  Designing innovative financial solutions for climate vulnerability.

The Summit also aims to set a new shared agenda which will be outlined in a Heads of State and Government Vision Statement on a New Global Financing Pact as well as to deliver a set of new commitments and concrete results.

The Summit also intends to catalyze an ambitious agenda for upcoming 2023 international events with the aim to push for concrete results on these occasions.

Although not aligned with the existing multilateral processes, the Paris Summit will provide a selected group of countries a platform to reach agreements on issues that can be used to influence the outcomes of the discussions in other international and multilateral platforms, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit, G20 Summit, World Bank/International Monitory Fund Annual Meetings, the 28th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP 28), among others.

More than 30 Heads of State and Government are confirmed to attend the Paris Summit, from Brazil, Germany; The European Union (EU) - President of the European Commission; the People's Republic of China (at Prime Minister level); Barbados; Sri Lanka and Cuba.

Other countries confirmed to attend the Summit include Benin;  Gabon; Madagascar; Mauritius; Mozambique; Senegal; Tunisia; Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo; the Union of Comoros, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania; the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well as the Togolese Republic.

President Ramaphosa will be accompanied by Ministers Naledi Pandor of International Relations and Cooperation and Enoch Godongwana of Finance as well as senior Government officials.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency: Republic of South Africa.

Filippo Bof, Head of Business Development at Shell Trading and Shipping will play a pivotal role in highlighting Africa as a thriving energy frontier during the African Energy Week. His contributions will focus on the company's collaborative initiatives with refiners to accelerate investments in the sector.

Shell, a prominent British multinational oil and gas company with a significant presence in Africa, is intensifying its efforts in exploration and production (E&P), refining, trading, marketing, and distribution activities on the continent. Recognizing Shell's commitment, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) is delighted to announce the participation of Filippo Bof, Head of Business Development at Shell Trading and Shipping Company, a subsidiary of Shell, as a speaker at the esteemed African Energy Week (AEW). As Africa's premier energy event, scheduled for October 16-20, 2023, in Cape Town, AEW will serve as a platform for influential African leaders and global influencers to shape the future of Africa's energy landscape.

Bof, with his extensive experience at Shell and Shell Trading and Shipping and a deep understanding of the African energy sector, emerges as a key contributor to the growth of the industry in Africa. His tenure at Shell began as a Commercial Interface and Trading Manager, where he played a vital role in shaping commercial strategies and managing trading activities. His contributions led to his promotion as a Business Development Manager and then Head of Business Development at Shell Trading and Shipping, where he further honed his skills in identifying growth opportunities and driving business expansion.

Prior to his time at Shell, Bof has had a decade's worth of experience at Eni, another major player in the energy sector. As an Oil Export and Shipping Manager at Eni Nigeria, he demonstrated his expertise in managing export operations and coordinating shipping activities. Bof's proficiency in the field earned him the role of Upstream Commercial Area Coordinator, where he oversaw commercial activities and played a pivotal role in maximizing value from upstream operations.

With this experience, he has forged strong partnerships with producers and refiners across the region. Bof's expertise spans various areas, including providing commercial support, financing, working capital, terminalling, and logistics solutions. This experience is particularly important in Africa's energy sector as Shell has a presence in many African countries, including Egypt, Mauritania, South Africa, Nigeria and Namibia to name a few. As Africa's energy sector is projected to grow, having expertise and effective management is vital for capitalizing on this growth and achieving successful outcomes regarding exploring, producing, refining, and trading oil and gas products.

Strengthening its presence in the MSGBC region, Shell signed an E&P contract with the Ministry of Petroleum, Mines and Energy in February to conduct exploration activities in Block C2 offshore Mauritania. As part of the agreement, Shell now holds a 75% stake in the block, while the Mauritanian government retains a 25% share. Block C2 is positioned to the south of Block C10, where Shell is currently conducting exploration activities, and to the east of Block C8, which has witnessed substantial discoveries. Shell Trading and Shipping's involvement in this would include leveraging its expertise in trading and optimization of energy commodities in support of the exploration activities in the region.

Another noteworthy achievement by Shell is the discovery of light oil in Namibia's Orange Basin, in the Graff – 1X Well, located block 2913A. By partnering with Qatar Energy and the national petroleum corporation of Namibia on this discovery, the company is demonstrating its commitment to partnerships and collaborations to drive the sector forward. Meanwhile its presence and range of services in South Africa spans over more than a century, primarily involved in the downstream sector of the energy industry. This includes activities such as refining, distribution and marketing of petroleum products. Shell operates the Sapref refinery, jointly owned by Shell and bp, one of the largest refineries in South Africa, which processes crude oil into various refined products like gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and lubricants. With the advancements in these countries, Shell Trading and Shipping harnesses their expertise in trading, shipping, and logistics to play a vital role in the facilitation of the distribution of these petroleum products.

Stepping into this picture, at AEW Bof will provide valuable insights into Shell's business development in Africa and he will share expertise on various aspects, including commercial support, financing, working capital, terminalling, and logistics.

"The Chamber is delighted with the attendance of Bof and the presence of Shell at the AEW. It highlights the importance of collaboration between local and international entities in unlocking Africa's energy potential. Shell's presence in Africa demonstrates the significant opportunities the continent offers in terms of energy resources and trading activities. The company also understands the vital role that hydrocarbons will continue to play in Africa's energy sector in order to meet its fuel and electricity needs,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC, adding that “The participation by Shell – represented by Bof, underscores the commitment to drive sustainable development, maximize value, and foster mutually beneficial partnerships within the African energy sector."

African Energy Week (AEW) is the African Energy Chamber's (AEC) interactive exhibition and networking event, established in 2021, that seeks to unite African energy stakeholders, drive industry growth and development, and promote Africa as the destination for African-focused events. For further information on the African Energy Week 2023 conference, click the link below:

https://apo-opa.info/3XfAhWB

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.