Algeria : Arkab Holds Talks with Chad’s Petroleum, Mining Minister
The Algerian Minister of State, Minister of Hydrocarbons and Mines, Mohamed Arkab, held on Tuesday in Algiers, talks with the Minister of Petroleum, Mines and Geology of the Republic of Chad, Ndolenodji Alex Naimbaye, who is paying a working visit to Algeria, during which he outlined Algeria’s development programs for the hydrocarbons and mining sectors, the ministry said in a press release.
Arkab also presented the new regulatory and legal frameworks that govern the activities related to these two sectors, stressing Algeria’s commitment to foster cooperation with Chad and enhance bilateral exchanges, especially as part of South-South cooperation, and with sister African countries, added the press release.
The talks provided an opportunity for the two sides to review “the state and prospects of Algerian-Chadian bilateral relations which are characterized by their fraternal and historical character,” ways to strengthen and expand bilateral cooperation were discussed, particularly in the fields of hydrocarbons and mining, as part of a sustainable strategic partnership approach.
The talks also addressed the prospects of cooperation along the hydrocarbons value chain including exploration, production, transport, refining, petrochemicals and marketing of petroleum products as well as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in addition to the possibilities of developing partnerships between Sonatrach Group and its subsidiaries and Chadian institutions, said the same source.
The ministers emphasized training and capacity building, particularly through the Algerian Petroleum Institute, to share Algeria’s leading expertise in oil and gas industry operations and sector regulation.
In this respect, the two sides examined the possibility of Sonatrach Group’s participation in developing Chad’s hydrocarbons sector through research, exploration and exploitation activities as well as petrochemicals and development of energy infrastructure alongside opportunities for exporting Algerian oil products to the Chadian market.
As for the mining sector, the two officials discussed ways to boost cooperation in mineral resource exploitation and processing, geological research and studies, geological and mining mapping, in addition to sharing expertise on administrative organization and legal frameworks regulating mining activities.
For her part, Alex Naimbaye valued the quality of relations that unite her country with Algeria, expressing Chad’s willingness to leverage on Algeria’s expertise and experience in developing the hydrocarbons and mining sectors as well as from the legal and regulatory frameworks governing these two fields, affirming the importance of exchanging expertise and experiences in a way that serves the common interests of the two countries and strengthens bilateral cooperation.
