International and African key decision-makers in the oil and gas industry have confirmed their attendance at the yearly Africa Oil & Gas Expo 2015, which will take place on September 8 and 9 at the Sandton Convention Centre, in Johannesburg.

The expo will focus on the latest developments and opportunities, and embrace innovative solutions, fresh ideas and best-in-class strategies to improve overall business performance and investment.

The expo will feature more than 70 booths and more than 60 high-level speakers. The two-day event will feature eight free-to-attend workshops and various networking sessions. It will be attended by Ministries of Energy from Madagascar, Benin, Togo, Comoros, Congo and Morocco.

“The Oil & Gas Expo 2015 is one of the most [important] events from an international oil-industry perspective.“It is a great honour for Togo to actively take part in this summit, which remains the best [platform] for discussing and analysing the current situation and the future perspectives of the sector,” says Togo Ministry of Mines and Energy exploration department chief Kpassèmon Kpenglame. He adds: “We are also confident that this summit will boost oil exploration in the long run.”

Further, the event will provide a unique platform for thousands of African oil and gas professionals. In addition to a number of representatives from national and international oil companies delivering case study presentations, other speakers include director of petroleum and African Petroleum Producers Association for Angola representative at the Ministry of Petroleum Estevão Pedro, who will share his view on the challenges and goals for the decade to come. Director-general and CEO of the Lamu Port Southern Sudan–Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) Corridor Development Authority Silvester Kasuku will present on the transformative Lapsset Corridor Infrastructure, and South African Oil and Gas Alliance chairperson Mthozami Xiphu will take part in a panel discussion, moderated by BP Angola managing counsel Francisco Simao, examining Southern Africa’s regional exploration and production developments.

“The Africa Oil & Gas Expo 2015 is an opportunity to deeply and actively strengthen the partnerships between the north and south. It represents a universal platform, highlighting the strengths and investment opportunities across the continent,” notes Morocco Ministry of Energy senior adviser Abdellaziz Elgamah.

The current African oil and gas context is changing because of new technologies in onshore and offshore drilling. This results in laws and regulatory require-ments which, therefore, need to be improved as finance and oil pricing face new challenges. How political leaders can guarantee the stability of their country's oil and gas industry, without transgressing inter-national regulations, is also a challenge. These issues, besides others, will be discussed in detail at the expo.

“Having attended the Africa Oil & Gas summit organised by [international operating business research organisation] Oliver Kinross for the past three years, I have always been impressed by the high level of discussions and organisation. That intensifies the relationship between govern- ment and the private sector, stakeholders and other industry players in the oil and gas indus-try through the sharing of ideas, experiences and information," concludes Madagasca Ministry of Energy director of hydro- carbons Pascal Clovis Velonarivo.