Association of African Petroleum Producing Countries (APPO): Ivorian Minister Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly to Lead the Pan-African Organization in 2026
Abidjan, November 5, 2025 – The Ivorian Minister of Mines, Petroleum, and Energy, Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly, will chair the Association of African Petroleum Producing Countries (APPO) for 2026, succeeding the Congolese Minister of Hydrocarbons, Bruno Jean Richard Itoua.
He was officially appointed at the conclusion of the 48th meeting of the APPO Council of Ministers, held on November 4-5 in Brazzaville, Congo.
As the new president of the pan-African petroleum organization, Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly has made the finalization of the African Energy Bank—a key project initiated by APPO six years ago—the centerpiece of his mandate. With a planned capital of $5 billion, this bank aims to ensure the financial autonomy of African countries in developing their energy projects, from exploration to local processing.
“Completing the establishment of this Bank is extremely important,” the Ivorian minister stated during his inaugural speech.
To this end, a summit of APPO Heads of State is scheduled for the first half of 2026 to mobilize the initial contributions of $500 million required to operationalize the Bank.
He also announced that 2026 will mark the concrete implementation of the Brazzaville Declaration, which enshrines local content as a major strategic axis. Adopted unanimously during the 4th APPO Conference and Exhibition on Local Content in Africa (CECLA), the Declaration commits the 18 member states to strengthen the integration of African companies into the oil and gas value chain through ten key action points.
“We can no longer afford to import goods and services that we can produce on the continent. I want our joint actions to start taking shape. In Côte d’Ivoire, we have focused on raising the level of our companies and citizens so that the majority of goods and services are sourced locally,” he emphasized, while expressing the hope of “progressing toward regional, even continental, local content development.”
Drawing on his experience leading other continental organizations, Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly assured that his mandate would be guided by collective interest.
The first ordinary council under Ivorian leadership will take place in Abidjan. The official assumption of office is scheduled for January 2026, with an agenda continuing the progress made: making African energy sovereignty a concrete reality.
Established in 1987, APPO works to defend the continent’s common interests in the energy sector and to promote sustainable exploitation of its natural resources.
