The 7th Annual Meeting of the New Producers Group was held in Kampala on 11–15 November 2019 and hosted by Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, the Petroleum Authority of Uganda and the Uganda National Oil Company. The meeting included two days of specialised training covering topics such as risks relating to the development of the petroleum sector, revenue management, contract negotiation, communications in the natural resource sector, national oil company performance drivers, and oil metering, valuation and marketing. The remainder of the meeting consisted of discussions and exchanges between the participating countries. The theme of the discussions was ‘Building Capacity and Institutions’. The 2019 discussions showed a heightened concern for the impact of the global energy transition on emerging petroleum producers and their pursuit of long-term economic benefits from oil and gas production. The uncertainties surrounding the transition permeated discussions throughout the week, including a dedicated training session on navigating emerging risks in the sector, a plenary discussion examining various market scenarios and a discussion of the intersection between Uganda’s oil ambitions and climate commitments as part of the national seminar organized by the host government. These discussions provided an opportunity for a nuanced and detailed sharing of perspectives as governments seek to manage risk. The week’s informal and plenary discussions also demonstrated the growing maturity of the network and the interest of participating countries in deeper cooperation.
A summary of the Annual Meeting is available at the link below.