Charles Jimmy Sangweni, Acting Director General, Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority, (PURA) will be among the speakers at the upcoming Sub Saharan Africa Upstream Oil and gas Summit in Tanzania.
This was confirmed in a statement by Dapo Ayoola, CEO, Sub Saharan Africa Upstream Oil and gas Summit, organizers of the summit.
Sangweni is a holder of a Master Degree in Gas Engineering and Management from the University of Salford, UK.
He is also a holder of a Bachelor degree in Chemical and Process Engineering from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Before joining PURA, Mr. Sangweni worked with Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) and several oil companies in and out of his home country.
These include, Caltex Oil (Kenya) Ltd, Caltex Oil (Tanzania) Ltd and GAPCO (Uganda) Ltd.
Thereafter, he joined TPDC in 2008 as a Senior Research Officer where he acquired skills and knowledge on natural gas chain, from its production to utilization.
He is among key members of the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) for the Tanzania National Natural Gas Infrastructure Project (NNGIP) which commenced successfully in 2015.
Besides these projects, Sangweni has been involved in several projects on natural gas development and utilization.
Another confirmed speaker for the event is Eng. Charles Omujun, Director of Natural Gas, Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority, (EWURA).
The Authority is responsible for regulating midstream and downstream natural gas activities that include processing, transportation, storage and distribution of natural gas in Mainland Tanzania.
The regulated infrastructures include processing plants, transmission and distribution pipelines, and storage facilities.
Scheduled to hold between April 9-11, 2019, the summit will provide opportunities for an exchange of ideas on best practices between investors and regulator.
A major challenge to the continent’s growth in the sector is the lack of sustainable funding mechanism.
However, Ayoola said this will be discussed at the summit.
He said, “Like any other sector, the challenges are there but the way we are approaching the challenges is focusing on opportunities and talking to regulators. If regulators are upfront with investors by telling them what they need to do and then we get a checklist, that’s all an investor wants to know.
“At the summit, we will also discuss funding opportunities. Can we pull together as a continent and fund genuine investment opportunities on our soil?
Speaking on the gains of past events, he said, “Despite it being an up and coming platform, we are beginning to see the impact.
“Specifically, during the first edition in 2015, Nigeria Petroleum Exchange (NIPEX) was there and they had a stand. We had a gentleman there from Uganda.
“Today, NIPEX is consulting for Uganda regulators, supporting them on how to start a Petroleum Exchange which will be the first in East Africa. This is a nation to nation benefit
“We also introduced a Women in Petroleum Forum in order to emphasize that the oil and gas industry is a multi discipline sector with no gender bias. There’s a place for both male and female,” he added.
