The Africa Oil Governance Report
ABOUT THE REPORT
The Africa Oil Governance Report (AOGR) is a project initiated by the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP). It is a flagship publication highlighting governance issues such as transparency, accountability, corruption, policy and regulatory issues in the oil and gas industry in Africa., As part of its mission, ACEP is mandated to conduct research, analyse and influence policies in the extractive sector. The AOGR is therefore a central project in line with ACEP’s mission. In addition, this report is an attempt to provide alternative solutions for efficient and transparent management of oil and gas resources in Africa. The AOGR identifies the key governance challenges that confront African oil and gas producers and how such challenges can be addressed through policy, legal and institutional interventions. It also brings to the fore, the efforts of countries in adopting best governance practices along some selected governance indicators in the management of oil and gas resources. The Report became necessary following recommendations from the maiden Africa Oil Governance Summit (AOGS), held in November 2015, for a systematic tracking of the progress made by African oil and gas producers on oil and gas governance in line with the Communique from the Summit. The communique from the AOGS is therefore included in this report highlighting the recommendations made for reference.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Africa has vast petroleum resources which when utilized efficiently, can accelerate economic growth and development. Translating natural resource wealth into sustainable development depends to a large extent on good governance. Good oil governance calls for utmost attention in Africa as the region’s oil industry is bedevilled by several governance challenges. The Africa Oil Governance Report therefore presents the governance efforts and lapses of the eighteen member countries of the African Petroleum Producers Association (APPA). The objectives of this report are to highlight the governance efforts of African oil producing countries and to provide information on the gaps existing in their governance frameworks; thereby serving as a wake-up call for African governments to strengthen their resource governance policies, systems and institutions. The assessment of the oil governance of countries is not intended to rank countries. It is aimed at providing the narration on the extent to which countries are adopting best governance practices; thereby providing the status of oil governance in these countries. The AOGR therefore assesses the efforts of the APPA member countries against eleven (11) selected governance indicators based on data sourced from their legal frameworks including national constitutions and petroleum laws
