Yesterday Mayor Sylvester Turner welcomed African heads of state, African ministers, Houston-based energy executives, and business leaders to the inaugural Houston – Africa Energy Summit.
The two-day event began on Thursday, Sept. 22 with a red-carpet arrival in front of the Julia Ideson Building across from Houston City Hall.
Mayor Turner extended a warm welcome to the President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, and Hilda Suka-Mafudze, the African Union Ambassador to the United States. The mayor also greeted many other notable leaders from Angola, Madagascar, Namibia, Senegal, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Zimbabwe, the Gambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Ethiopia, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Benin, Burundi, Ghana, Guinea, Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan.
Following the arrival ceremony, Mayor Turner joined representatives from Chevron, CenterPoint Energy, and more than one dozen other companies for a roundtable. Key topics of discussion included but were not limited to the fossil fuel and hydrocarbon industry, natural gas industry and national policies, renewable power generation, including hydrogen, coal, solar, wind, investment, and financing to support energy projects.
“This is an important event; one that showcases the position of Houston as the energy capital of the world and a global leader to help build opportunity to support Africa’s growth,” said Mayor Turner. “My goal is to bring all sides to the table — to have the necessary discussions, bring people together, build relationships, and challenge you all to find opportunity.”
Mayor Turner, in collaboration with the Greater Houston Partnership, is today hosting a daylong plenary Session of the Houston-Africa Energy Summit. Along with networking opportunities, the discussions today are focus on the future of global energy in African and remarks from Niger’s president.
“If we believe in equitable economic development, energy is one of the most important factors for Africa,” Mayor Turner said. “And this is why we think this is the right place for these conversations. Because we need to meet this challenge while remaining mindful of our commitments to equitable economic development as well as leading in climate action.”
