Nov. 29, 2022

Mayor Sylvester Turner plans a second Houston-Africa Energy summit in 2023.

In the Texas Tribune event of Tuesday 29th November 2022 with City of Houston Mayor the Honorable Sylvester Turner , Dr. Ntuba Akwo Thompson who was invited by the Texas Tribune asked mayor Turner why another summit with African presidents when only one of all the close to 54 came to the 2022 summit ?.
Mayor Turner who was speaking on his stewardship of Houston , the fourth biggest city in the USA in the past 7 years defended the reasons for the last energy summit that brought the president of Niger , the African Union Ambassador to the USA and other energy leaders from a number of African countries with the exception of Oil producing giants like Nigeria and business leaders from South Africa to meet Energy leaders in Houston .
Africa was the immediate past president of OPEC under the leadership of late Barkindo from Nigeria who participated and addressed Houston Energy leaders at the yearly CeraWeek energy conference and the World petroleum congress .
To assume that African presidents are waiting for Houston to direct them on Energy and or Oil and gas issues is a presumption that can easily be made in Houston .
Many African governments run economies dependent on oil and gas and or petroleum products and have partnership with Saudi Arabia , Russia and Asian countries .
The clean energy talk and or energy transition is great related to mitigating the effects of Climate change on humans and the environment but the needs of Africa are quiet different from those of Houston and the USA .
African countries are no new players in the global energy sector and or business and meet Houston based energy leaders in OTC or Offshore technology conference , NAPE and CeraWeek where some of the same people who attended the city of Houston first ever energy summit go to .
African presidents also hate to be lectured by governors or ministers, talkless of mayors .
While Mayor Turner may mean well, having many African presidents come to the second Houston-African energy summit is a dream that will be difficult to accomplish because of the way African presidents think.
Having the president of Niger to sit in a meeting as the only president from African is not in the best interest and image of the city of Houston, if it wants to continue to say it invites African presidents to an Energy summit.
Inviting presidents of other countries to nations is a country-by-country relationship not city by country.
Having business summits is good but to think that African presidents who are used to the USA-African summit at the white House and state department, invited by their peer, president of the USA with all the required security details in place will take a Mayoral invitation for an energy summit serious is waste of efforts.
Accepted Dr. Ntuba Akwo Thompson, asked his questions after giving some background work at the World bank, Washington DC, UN and African countries, which should inform the leadership in Houston that he knows what he is talking about as to why the African presidents did not come for the summit and may never come.
Presidents love to be invited by their peers no matter how small their countries are as known in the relationships between South American countries and the USA.
African countries approach the climate change and energy transition issues differently and the experiences of Houston does not translate to other nations.
Planning for the next Houston- Africa energy summit requires that these considerations are factored into every phase of planning.
African leaders who are invited into the United States by the USA government can always find time to attend side meetings like Houston-Africa Energy summit.
It is also disrespectful to meet with energy corporations and or business managers from Africa and say you met with African heads of states or leaders.
Houston is determined to carry on with the plans for the second summit that may never realize it's dreams of many African presidents coming.
Dr. Ntuba Akwo Thompson
International political leader, Physician and Communicator. Certified professional and expert Global health USA. Adviser of Prime ministers and presidents.