African Oil Week Ceded To UK Startup Sankofa Events Ltd

By Ajong Mbapndah L

In a move that may mark the end of an era, the African Oil Week has been ceded to the UK startup company Sankofa Events Ltd owned by Paul Sinclair, a former VP Government Relations for Africa at the Hyve Group and Africa Oil Week. 

While word had been going round energy circles within the last few days on the deal, PAV got confirmation on the sale in a statement from the AOW making public the switch to new ownership.

“Soon, AOW will be under the new leadership of Sankofa Events Limited, led by Paul Sinclair, who is a familiar face having formerly been a part of the AOW leadership team for over five years. Paul holds complete belief in our purpose and has an extensive understanding of the complex and ever-changing African energy market. He also has very exciting plans to expand our brand internationally and invest in our future success,” the statement read.

“I am proud and excited to today take the helm of AOW – an event I have much history with and a brand I firmly believe in the power of. AOW has made extraordinary progress over the last few years, and I am determined to build on that to expand and develop this important event even further. I look forward to working with you all and seeing you at the upcoming event in October.” said Paul Sinclair

In an email message to partners and stakeholders announcing the move, Mark Shashoua said to ensure continuity for the AOW Community, Hyve will be supporting Paul over the coming months to ensure the successful delivery of the 30^th anniversary event this October.

The acquisition of the AOW by Paul Sinclair and the recently incorporated Sankofa Events ltd group comes not only with excitement, but also huge challenges. For many years, the AOW was the staple energy forum in the continent until the relocation of the 2021 edition from Cape Town to Dubai led to a revolt of some African actors led by the African Energy Chamber-AEC which now hosts the hugely popular and surging African Energy Week-AEW.

“Delivering the event to the high standard to which our audience is accustomed and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our attendees has always been our top priority. We believe that hosting the 2021 edition in Dubai will enable us to ensure that the event experience is both safe and premium for our customers,” the AOW said in a statement justifying the move at the time.

“While Dubai is a fabulous venue in its own right, we do believe that events of African nature should show strong commitment to African communities, cities and the local workforce. An event of the magnitude of Africa Oil Week is a big local employer. Reneging on its long-standing partner, the African people and the continent, is a truly unfortunate sign of disinterest in African values of trust, loyalty and companionship, and is in fact very unscrupulous in nature,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC.

The event’s move from Cape Town to Dubai was wrong, short-term in its thinking, and sends a negative message about Africa, said Florival Mucave, President of Mozambican Oil and Gas Chamber (CPGM)

“The move underestimates our preparedness to host events that define our future economic and energy sector success. Imagine the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament being hosted in Dubai because one company says Africa is not the right place anymore because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mucave said in condemnation of the relocation.

The condemnation of the relocation of the 2021 AOW to Dubai snowballed into the creation of the African Energy Week-AEW which has found increasing fervor with many African and international partners.

While the AOW did return and has maintained its presence in Cape Town annually, it has experienced dwindling fortunes as the AEW has sucked up much of the enthusiasm. Over the years, talks of merging the two events have been mooted but have gone nowhere.

In December 2022, the AEC in a statement indicated it will no longer pursue collaboration with organizers of the AOW after multiple attempts to reach out yielded no results. The AEC said in the statement that it will continue to work towards supporting Africa’s energy sector and making energy poverty history at AEW 2023.

“We are not interested in rivalry and polarization but are committed towards supporting our energy sector and making energy poverty history by 2030. This is our goal, and it should be the goal of AOW. So now, AEW will press on with its agenda with the 2023 edition promising to be even bigger, bolder, and better than the editions that preceded it. You just watch what will happen in 2023. We will outwork them, and we will compete to promote every African country and we will support our energy sector like never before,” said NJ Ayuk in the statement.

Matching words with action, the AEC and partners hosted the 2023 edition of the AEW preparations are in high gear for the 2024 edition. The potential for a merger of the two events has grown even bleaker. When they merge OTC and CERAWeek and then merge ADIPEC and IE week or ONS in Norway then they can come advise the AEC. That arrogance and disrespect towards Africans needs to stop, says NJ Ayuk.  

“I don’t think they have the work ethic and the passion to work at our pace. This is not a job; this is a cause. I can’t merge with folks who do 9 to 5 and have little passion for Oil rather than just a buck. We will have to see if they can put in the work. I don’t like lazy people. AOW was never interested in working with us in the past. They see themselves as victims of us starting AEW.  Victim thinking kept them stuck in their past with no forward progress. They let the past explain who they are, and they let it define who they are,” says Ayuk.  They killed a 30 year brand and expectations and calls for me to merge and help them rebuild are preposterous, Ayuk says.

Paul Sinclair opted not to join the Board of the AEC after he accepted the appointment and decided to pursue other ventures and we appreciate him and wish him well, says Ayuk. He is a good man and will do good in anything he chooses, the AEC Executive Chaiman says.

While not privy to details of the deal between the AOW and Sankofa Events, NJ Ayuk described it as inconsequential.   “I am intrigued by the possibility of an acquisition of a dying outfit. If they can turn it around, it will be great. I hope they can tell a compelling narrative, revamp the brand, and by God differentiate themselves,” says Ayuk.

Drawing a contrast, NJ Ayuk says the AEW is run by oil and gas people while AOW is run by conference stage builders. At AEW we have a drill baby drill (our litmus test) agenda for Africa with a focus on producing every drop of natural gas to get our people out of energy poverty and industrialise Africa and we make no apologies, Ayuk says.

Asked if the growing stake of Sinclair in the AOW addresses questions of diversity at the Hyve Group that the AEC and others have raised, Ayuk said no. I refuse to accept that Blacks are not qualified to be in Management at the Hyve Group, says Ayuk.

“They can find someone with red hair to be in leadership, but they can’t hire someone with black skin in 2024. Race has no place in oil and gas and mining. It’s outrageous. HYVE should be ready to answer some questions before the next AOW and Mining Indaba and I will be asking the tough questions and probing. We should not be buying where we can’t work. Paul can change that and diversify the damm place,” says Ayuk.