Burundi is hosting the 8th East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition from 7 to 9 June 2017 under the theme ‘East Africa, the emerging hotspot for oil and gas exploration, infrastructure, development and commercialization.’
High personalities attending the East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition taking place in Bujumbura from 7 to 9 June 2017
The East African Community organizes biannual conference and exhibition on the petroleum potential and investment opportunity in East Africa. “The conference provides excellent fora for participants to share ideas and information about recent development in the region, learn about new investment opportunities and share lessons learnt,” says Côme Manirakiza, Minister of Energy and Mines.
He says Burundi is hosting the 8th East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition because EAC member countries host the conferences in rotation. “It was then the turn of Burundi to host this conference”.
Kenya was the first country to host the oil conference in March 2013. “As this conference is rotating every two years, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have already organized it twice. The last conference was held in Rwanda in 2015”, says Manirakiza.
He also says that the main goal of this conference is to bring together EAC countries to analyze various factors that can promote petrol and gas sectors in Africa.
“Expert studies discovered petrol and gas in the East African region to be exploited for the interest of our countries and people,” he says.
He states that researchers have already discovered gas in Tanzania, methane gas in Rwanda and oil in Tanzania and Uganda.
Manirakiza says Burundi is still in exploration phase. “This conference is an opportunity for us to discuss together with our partners how to discover the oil prospected for in the Lake Tanganyika basin,” says Minister of Energy and Mines.
According to him, reports from various researchers show that there are oil indices in Lake Tanganyika and Rusizi River basin.
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