African Countries and Businesses Must Support Africans in Corporate Leadership positions in the Energy and Mining Industry

For many African businesses and individuals, involvement in Africa’s oil and natural gas industry presents a promising opportunity. Engaging with international companies not only opens avenues for a better future for families but also facilitates upward mobility into the middle class for young Africans.

Communities across Africa, from Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, to the Niger Delta in Nigeria, witness enhanced engagement with companies operating in their regions. Recognising the benefits of local operations, these communities understand that local-run supply and service companies can thrive, leading to economic growth and sustainable jobs.

While Africa Oil Week and Mining Indaba, organised by Hyve Group, shed light on Africa’s energy sector, the absence of Africans in their leadership is glaring. The African Energy Chamber strongly condemns this exclusion, advocating for immediate change. https://apo-opa.co/4buXzyg

“We must put a stop to Africa’s energy industry gender and racial disparity. We need to create more opportunities for Africans and women to join the sector, from oil and gas to renewables, in higher-paying leadership jobs. The effect is good for everyone: Africans, Black women, their families, their communities, the world. It’s not enough for Hyve Group to use a black woman to publish a list of 50 black women every year but can’t hire any of them into their leadership. Hyve Group needs to stop the blackwashing.” Stated NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber.

The energy events industry, and specifically Hyve Group, tends to push Blacks or Africans into supporting jobs, but they are void of any responsibility of making decisions as they are not allowed to.  We at the African Energy Chamber urge Hyve Group to hire and put Africans in leadership roles immediately, and it will benefit them in the short term as they will have a huge talent pool to draw from when it comes to leadership. Skin colour should not be a barrier at Hyve Group leadership. You can talk Africa Oil Week or Mining Indaba with no Africans in your leadership. https://apo-opa.co/4buXzyg We reject it.

We lament the fact that the Hyve Group executive suite is still one of the African energy industry’s most exclusive and impenetrable clubs, with hierarchy most closely resembling a slave plantation or colonial leadership where it is heavily white at the top with black labour struggling to move up and being sent to Africa to keep Africans quiet from seeing the realities.

In 2024, we at the AEC intend to make the issue of inclusion, diversity and local content a key issue just as we are going to be unapologetic in our support for the oil and gas industry. African governments, the energy and mining industry and businesses cannot be silent on Hyve Group’s lack of inclusion. If we continue to be silent, we are being complicit, and this is not the time to stand idly by.

When oil companies invest in Congo LNG, Mozambique LNG, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania, and Ghana, we demand them to hire and promote Africans. We should have no different standard when it comes to Hyve Group.

“The absence of any persons of African descent within the leadership of Hyve Group is pathetic. Those corner offices need to be integrated. Just look at the leadership team; they even have someone with red hair, but they can’t afford to have someone with black skin. This is not the African energy industry of 2024,” Concluded Ayuk.

Here is our recommendation to Hyve Group to crack glass ceiling discrimination within its corporate executive ranks:

Hyve Group must immediately adopt a policy in which the pool of candidates for executive positions includes Black and other underrepresented employees and
Urgently implement a platform to receive and follow up on complaints of discrimination and
Empower and elevate blacks within the company and have a seat at the table. Blacks can’t continue being on the menu.

As the voice of the African Energy Industry, we will continue raising this issue with governments, the industry and civil society. We are a bigger proponent of Africa and her people. And without inclusion in the events industry during this period of energy growth and transition, we stand to lose revenue, jobs, and capacity-building opportunities of a thriving oil and gas industry.

Many African economies stand little chance of affording the billions of dollars necessary to develop the infrastructure we need to shift to renewables. Africans are much less likely to fully capitalise on the jobs and economic opportunities that renewable energy industries can deliver. This narrative is being delivered on conference platforms, and Africans should be in executive functions.

We are excited about Africa’s prospects when it comes to inclusion, diversity, and women empowerment.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.