During his three-day official visit to the Republic of Congo, the Secretary-General of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, alongside the Minister of Hydrocarbons of the Republic of Congo, Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua, visited the headquarters of the Republic’s national oil company, Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo (SNPC), and met with the Director-General, Maixent Raoul Ominga.

Present during the visit were also top officials from the oil company and an OPEC delegation. The DG showed his appreciation to the SG for visiting the headquarters. The SG and his entourage were given a detailed presentation on SNPC, its structure, the oil and gas fields it is developing, the size of its workforce, and its share of Congo’s domestic hydrocarbon consumption, among other things.

Barkindo discussed the global oil industry’s several issues, including poor investment and energy poverty. He praised the company’s efforts to provide affordable and reliable oil supplies.

The SG said: “It is always a privilege for me to visit one of our 13 OPEC Member Countries and especially the newest – the Republic of the Congo, which became part of the OPEC family in June 2018. You are the Organization’s seventh African Member Country, and this is a reflection of the continent’s rising importance in supplying the world’s oil needs.”

“OPEC is very proud of Congo’s contributions to the oil industry and the successes of SNPC, whose establishment in 1998 introduced an era of expansion, innovation and international partnerships.”

“You are uniquely positioned to provide an efficient, stable and economic supply to the global marketplace; to grow our industry through cooperation; and to be a driving force in the socio-economic development of our countries.”

During the visit, a video commemorating OPEC’s 60th anniversary was also shown.