AEC says boycott of Africa Energies Summit will continue

.Chamber insists inclusion and local content concerns must be addressed before London event can regain credibility

By Emmanuel Okogba

The African Energy Chamber (AEC) has said it will continue boycotting the upcoming Africa Energies Summit in London, maintaining that the dispute has moved beyond conference participation to a wider question of representation, local content and credibility in Africa-focused energy platforms.

The Chamber said its position reflects growing concern within the African energy industry that platforms built around the continent’s resources and investment opportunities are failing to adequately include African professionals, particularly Black Africans, in leadership and decision-making roles.

According to the AEC, repeated calls for reform have not produced any meaningful change from the organisers, Frontier Energy Network. The Chamber argued that without visible changes to hiring practices and executive representation, the summit risks losing legitimacy among the African stakeholders it seeks to engage.

“Our position remains the same: if you benefit from Africa’s resources and its development agenda, then you must reflect Africa in your leadership, hiring and decision-making. Local content can no longer be smoke and mirrors – it must be a tangible commitment to inclusion, opportunity and ownership. We cannot accept a situation where Africa is central to the conversation, but Africans are absent from leadership,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC.

The boycott has gained momentum in recent weeks, with the Chamber pointing to broader withdrawals by African stakeholders from the summit. Mozambique’s oil and gas sector pulled out in March 2026, while Ghana followed in April, citing similar concerns over local content and discriminatory hiring practices.

The AEC said those withdrawals show that the issue is no longer limited to a disagreement between one trade body and one conference organiser, but reflects wider dissatisfaction across the sector over the gap between local-content rhetoric and actual inclusion.

Ayuk has also linked the boycott to broader questions about Africa’s energy future, arguing that the continent cannot speak seriously about energy security, industrial growth and local value creation while exclusion persists in the institutions and events that shape sector conversations.

Speaking during ARDA Week 2026, Ayuk repeated his call to “refine, baby refine,” urging stronger African-led investment in refining and downstream infrastructure. He cited projects such as the 650,000 barrels-per-day Dangote Refinery and the role of indigenous firms like Sahara Group as evidence that African-led solutions are essential to tackling energy poverty and strengthening domestic capacity.

The Chamber reinforced the same position during the Namibia International Energy Conference in Windhoek, where discussions focused on local content, women in energy and the country’s emerging oil and gas industry. The AEC said inclusive leadership and stronger participation frameworks are necessary if countries such as Namibia, Mozambique and Ghana are to convert energy growth into broader economic gains.

Ayuk warned that the campaign could widen beyond the summit itself to include companies that continue to support the event.

The AEC said its position is not aimed at excluding others, but at establishing minimum standards of fairness, representation and respect in Africa-focused industry platforms.

Until those standards are met, the Chamber said, the boycott will remain in place.

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