The African Petroleum Producers' Organization (APPO) is poised to launch an innovative continental platform for tenders, a strategic move designed to significantly enhance local content and foster greater African participation in the energy sector's procurement processes. This initiative, spearheaded by APPO Secretary-General Farouk Ghazi, an Algerian national, underscores a commitment to bolstering pan-African cooperation in hydrocarbon projects.
African Petroleum Producers Organization continental tender platform
Ghazi elaborated in an exclusive interview with the Algerian News Agency that this digital tool will serve as a comprehensive registry for African companies, prioritizing their inclusion in open tender announcements. He emphasized that Africa possesses a wealth of competent public and private national companies capable of executing major industrial projects in compliance with international standards.
This project, currently in its advanced stages of preparation, aims to establish an African tender bulletin by late 2026 or early 2027, mirroring Algeria's successful 'PAOSEM' bulletin for the energy and mining sectors. APPO's roadmap for the current year also prioritizes the sharing of expertise, with Ghazi highlighting the significant experience of nations like Algeria, Angola, and Nigeria in local content development as a valuable resource for other member states.
Furthermore, the organization is dedicated to advancing human capital through a continental plan for technical and academic training. This includes establishing a network of training centers that will enable each country to identify available training opportunities across the continent for its future cadres and technicians.
APPO is also undergoing a significant restructuring process, intended to adapt the organization to the evolving global energy landscape. This includes integrating emerging energy sources such as electricity, solar power, and hydrogen into its operational framework.
Ghazi stressed the imperative for Africa to valorize its vast energy resources domestically, particularly noting that 600 million Africans still lack access to electricity. He pointed out that the continent's abundant terrestrial and marine resources attract partners seeking stability and reliability. "We must inevitably invest this advantage to attract investments, but on our own terms," he asserted.
To address the continent's refining deficit, where approximately 70% of the 7-8 million barrels of crude oil produced daily are exported due to insufficient processing facilities, APPO has developed a model for joint refining. This model is based on regional hubs—North, West, East, and Southern Africa—and envisions an integrated system incorporating distribution pipelines and petrochemical complexes.
"The goal is to process raw materials locally to support the African industrial fabric," Ghazi stated, noting the strong interest from several countries, including Mauritania, Mozambique, and Guinea, in joining APPO. He further underscored the high demand for Algerian expertise across Africa in sectors such as gas, exploration, distribution, and electrical grids.
As a significant initiative driven by Algeria, APPO has also launched a project to establish an African regulatory body aimed at unifying technical standards for the continental market. Ghazi concluded by stating that APPO's fundamental role is to "connect member states to each other for collective progress."
Related topics: African Petroleum Producers Organization, APPO, local content, African energy sector, continental tender platform, Algeria energy expertise
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