Juba, South Sudan,
June 29, 2021 – The long-awaited fourth edition of the Oil & Power Conference has kicked off at Crown Hotel in the South Sudanese capital Juba Tuesday.
This comes as South Sudan seeks to attract more capital into strategic energy and infrastructure sectors. The two-day conference will run from 29th – 30th June, 2021.
Speaking on the opening day of the event, the Minister of Energy and Oil for South Sudan, Jaden Ali, described the conference as a new breakthrough that came at a critical time when the country was embarking on a series of energy-related developmental projects.
“This conference, and this new breakthrough in oil production, comes at a very critical time, where South Sudan is exerting all of its efforts to embark on big development projects,” Mr. Ali was quoted by Energy Capital & Power to have said.
Ali said the conference also focuses on the area of investment, technology, and socioeconomic development in South Sudan.
“Despite the fact that the whole world is just recovering from COVID-19, [the conference] also addresses very crucial issues like investment in hydrocarbons, power generation, infrastructure, and technology, aiming at to pave the way for massive economic and social development in South Sudan,” the Minister said.
The South Sudan Oil & Power conference, organized by Energy Capital & Power with the endorsement of the Ministry of Petroleum, Ministry of Energy and Dams, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Investment, and Ministry of Labor, is one of the first large-scale events to be held in-person on the African continent since the onset of COVID-19.
The Energy Capital says, this year, for the first time, the South Sudan Oil and Power 2021 will be structured in a hybrid format, with international speakers and delegates participating online alongside the local in-person event.
The program, the organizers say, reflects an industry-wide shift that saw a transition to webinars and other digital platforms last year in the absence of live events. Hybrid platforms offer an expanded and diversified attendee demographic, with SSOP 2021 streaming online for free to global participants.
Motivated by a relatively low rate of infection, unprecedented levels of collaboration among South Sudanese health authorities and ministerial bodies have enabled a safe return to live events, with a view to ensuring future investment and development within the country.
In cooperation with the Ministry of Health, South Sudan’s Ministry of Petroleum has been resolute in its commitment to driving foreign direct investment into energy and infrastructure sectors, including oil and gas, power generation, road-building, and technology.
The conference organized under the theme “Build the Nation: Capital raising and innovative financing to build critical energy and infrastructure projects” serves to unite foreign investors and showcase local investment opportunities as a means of COVID-19 recovery.
The government has employed strict health and safety protocols adopted by the Government of South Sudan and executed by private sector partners have also expedited the country’s return to live events.
On Monday, just a day before the event, all in-person attendees of SSOP 2021 were tested for COVID-19 and were expected to present a negative COVID-19 result upon entry to the venue. All locally-based guests received free-of-charge PCR tests from healthcare partner MEDBLUE Laboratory.
