Inauguration of Farid Ghazali as Secretary-General of the Organization of African Petroleum Producing Countries – New Algeria

Algerian Farid Ghazali was inaugurated. Officially assuming the duties of the General Secretariat of the Organization of African Petroleum Producing Countries (APPO), today, Wednesday, during a ceremony held in the capital, Brazzaville, in the Republic of the Congo, in the presence of His Excellency the Ambassador of Algeria to the Republic of the Congo, Brazzaville, and the Head of the Fuel Regulatory Authority, Amin Remini, in his capacity as Algeria’s representative to the organization. Chaired by Bruno Jean-Richard Etoua, Minister of Hydrocarbons of the Republic of the Congo, rotating President of the Organization’s Council for the year 2025.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Mines, Farid Ghazali was succeeded in this position by the outgoing Secretary-General, Omar Farouk Ibrahim, where the ceremony of handing over and receiving the duties took place in the presence of the Chairman of the Executive Council of APPO, Kwame Bienfono Essie, who confirmed that this installation constitutes a pivotal stage in the process of continuing the organization’s work and enhancing its role in promoting African energy cooperation.

By the way, the documents handing over tasks were signed between the outgoing Secretary-General and the new Secretary-General, in the presence of the Chairman of the Executive Council of the Organization, within the framework of an orderly and responsible transition of leadership within the Organization of African Petroleum Producing Countries.

The election of Farid Ghazali is a well-deserved culmination of a busy career spanning more than 33 years in the energy and hydrocarbons sector, during which he held several senior positions within the Sonatrach complex, most notably: Advisor to the President and Director General since March 2020; Vice President in charge of Strategy, Economic Studies and Institutional Planning during the period 2017-2020; Director of studies and planning in the activity of transporting fuel via pipelines; And an executive officer in marketing activity, in charge of the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline file.

The new Secretary-General has extensive international experience in the fields of oil and gas, strategic market analysis, project management, and international negotiations, in addition to his contribution to several files within international energy organizations, including the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF). Mr. Farid Ghazali holds a chemical engineer certificate from the Algerian Institute of Petroleum (IAP), specializing in liquefied natural gas (GNL).

It should be noted that the African Petroleum Producing Organization (APPO), which was established in 1987 at the initiative of Algeria and a number of African producing countries, currently includes 18 member states, and constitutes an institutional framework aimed at coordinating petroleum policies among member states, enhancing cooperation and integration in the areas of exploration, production, refining and technology transfer, as well as supporting scientific research, training and competency development.

Farid Ghazali was also elected as the new Secretary-General of the African Petroleum Producing Countries Organization (APPO), during the forty-eighth (48th) regular session of the Organization’s Ministerial Council, held in the capital, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo.