The President of South Sudan, His Excellency Salva Kiir, has appointed Bol Ring Mourwel Kon as the new Managing Director for the National Oil Company, Nilepet.

The new M.D takes over from Dr Chol Deng Thon Abel with immediate effect. Before his appointment, Mourwel Kon was the president of Nile Drilling, South Sudan’s first local drilling firm and one of Nilepet’s joint venture companies.

During his time as president, the company drove collaboration on the oilfield with Sudan and was actively involved in the building of local capacity and uptake of technology in the local services sector.

Nilepet was incorporated in 2009 after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 and two years before South Sudan gained independence in 2011. The company hold a stake in each oil-producing consortium operating in South Sudan.

Nilepet is responsible for regulating fuel imports, distribution and storage and running its retail stations. It has also entered into several key joint ventures with foreign firms, with the aims of building capacity and optimising operations in South Sudan.