“Dear Minister of Oil and Gas” – Gabonews

2023-10-17 11:39:12

“Dear Minister of Oil and Gas”

October 17, 2023

I would like to send you my contribution to the success of the transition with all humility and respect.

According to the law, not reporting crimes, thefts, embezzlement and other offenses makes us accomplices of the perpetrators of these reprehensible acts. Furthermore, our old constitution allows all citizens to denounce such actions.

I am not here to denounce anyone, but I humbly request you to carry out a quick audit, especially within the companies in the oil sector which sell their shares to others.

Why is a rapid audit necessary?

Quite simply because the late President Omar Bongo Ondimba had set up, in the years 2008/2007, a joint committee with all the oil companies of the time, with the aim of completely eliminating gas flaring by 2010 . This committee was known as “Zero Flaring from 2010“. Upon the death of the late Omar Bongo Ondimba, this project was abandoned, even though the Gabonese state had invested a considerable sum (several million dollars) for its realization. This is why an audit is necessary, because at the time, the State had authorized these companies to purchase all the equipment necessary for the success of this project, including large air compressors intended to reinject gas in underground reservoirs. Although these companies purchased this equipment, they recovered all their expenses in cost oil.

Since this project never saw the light of day, other companies transferred this material, which cost the Gabonese state a fortune, to their subsidiaries around the world, where gas flaring is no longer practical.

This gas formerly belonged to the Gabonese state, because some exploitation and production sharing contracts (CEPP) only concerned crude oil, while gas remained state property. However, certain individuals have signed amendments to these contracts in order to be able to exploit this gas. Why did they do this when the State could have directly exploited this gas in order to supply cheaper gas to the power stations of Alenakiri in Owendo and Cap-Lopez in Port-Gentil?

This is my modest contribution for the CTRI, as many things need to be updated. Over the past 14 years, many mistakes have been made, and this is often due to the appointments that have been made. Sometimes competent and experienced people are put aside, even though they could bring real added value. All the officials from the Ministry of Oil who oversaw this project are Gabonese and they are experienced engineers who have worked all over the world. They are all still alive.

For the development of our country, the CTRI will need funding. However, there is a lot of money in the oil sector that these companies owe to the state. I know this situation well because I represented my former employer on this committee and, at the time, we had already received several air compressors for gas reinjection.

I am Armand Dagraca Tchitembo,

Former Deputy General Manager of an oil company in Port-Gentil.

Sincerely,