The new Secretary General of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries , Kuwaiti’s Haitham Al Ghais, yesterday engaged the Nigerian media on his immediate plans for the oil industry, hours after he assumed duty as the new head of the organisation.
Fielding questions during the virtual event, Al Ghais stated that the 600 million Africans currently without electricity must be considered while the global discussions on the current energy transition are ongoing. While underscoring the critical role Nigeria plays in OPEC and its pivotal place in the African oil and gas market, he promised to visit Nigeria soon, maintaining that with the cooperation of Nigeria and other member nations, OPEC would weather the storms in the global oil market.
He added: “In OPEC, the direction is dictated by market conditions, which is what unites OPEC and the wider group of OPEC+, to do whatever is necessary to maintain the market balance. After observing a minute’s silence for the late Barkindo, he described the former OPEC head’s death as tragic, noting that the demise was not only a personal loss, but one that was felt globally.