Williams: Effective collaboration, execution primary to accelerate gas projects

The Chief Executive Officer of Tetracore Energy Group, Olakunle Williams, emphasized the importance of effective execution and multi-layered collaborations in accelerating the pace of gas projects in Africa. Williams highlighted the success of the West Africa Gas Pipeline as a model of successful collaboration and discussed plans with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation to build a virtual pipeline infrastructure to supply key points such as Tema and Takoradi. Speaking at the 50th anniversary of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, Williams underscored the significance of funding availability and capital allocation to private sector-led projects as a crucial factor in driving progress in the energy sector across the continent. He noted that historically, capital allocation had largely favored government-led initiatives, and a shift towards supporting private sector projects was instrumental in unlocking value and driving economic transformation in Africa. Williams stressed the transformational impact of targeting funding towards private sector-led programs, emphasizing the role of the private sector in driving innovation and development across different economies in Africa. He highlighted the importance of performance measurement in ensuring the success of projects and fostering collaboration among stakeholders to drive impactful outcomes. In discussing strategies to leverage partnerships and expand gas projects, Williams focused on harnessing natural gas resources across Africa, particularly in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, and Angola. He emphasized the need to build infrastructure to facilitate the transportation of natural gas from resource-rich areas to demand centers, promoting industrialization and economic growth. Williams highlighted the importance of energy availability for industrial activities and underscored the need for affordable, efficient, and widespread energy distribution to support the continent's economic development. Addressing the challenges of energy access and pricing in the West African region, Williams discussed ongoing projects to supply gas from Nigeria to Ghana via the West African Gas Pipeline, servicing independent power generation companies. He emphasized the importance of leveraging existing regional infrastructures while also developing local capabilities to enhance gas distribution within countries. Williams outlined a dual approach of utilizing regional pipelines like the West African Gas Pipeline and building local pipeline infrastructures to connect gas supply points to industrial areas within countries, such as Thema and Takoradi in Ghana. In addressing the need to accelerate the completion of pipeline projects and enhance infrastructure development, Williams highlighted the importance of improving human capacity development in the energy sector. He emphasized the necessity of developing a skilled workforce to efficiently execute projects and achieve economic growth targets. Williams underscored the critical role of effective collaboration across various sectors, including infrastructure development, human capacity development, technology, and supply chains, in accelerating the pace of gas projects in Africa. He emphasized the need for swift execution, efficient collaborations, and multi-layered partnerships to drive progress and unlock the vast potential of the energy sector in Africa.