Johannesburg, August 25, 2023 – This week, the Pertamina Group accompanied the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, on his visit to four African countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and South Africa. Pertamina, as a state-owned enterprise, contributes to the spirit of Asia-Africa cooperation by carrying out the government's mission to enhance bilateral relations with each respective country.
"This visit embodies the spirit of the Asian-African Conference and the Bandung Spirit, aimed at continuing solidarity and collaboration among countries in the Global South. The Global South's relationships must be continually strengthened, as it represents 35% of the global population, granting it a significant voice in the world," explained President Joko Widodo during his visit to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on August 22, 2023.
In each country, President Joko Widodo expressed his support and appreciation to Pertamina for its efforts to explore opportunities in oil and gas business in Africa.
Nicke Widyawati, the President Director of PT Pertamina (Persero), revealed that Pertamina brought forth various initiatives for collaboration in upstream, midstream, downstream, and geothermal sectors to Africa. During this visit, Pertamina conducted four commitment signings in four African countries.
In Kenya, two collaborations were established, one with Africa Geothermal International Limited (AGIL) and the other with the National Oil Corporation of Kenya (NOCK). Pertamina executed these agreements through its subsidiary subholding companies: Pertamina NRE’s PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy Tbk (PGEO) and Pertamina Upstream’s PT Pertamina Internasional Eksplorasi dan Produksi (PIEP).
"Pertamina is opening opportunities for cooperation, and Africa presents businesses that align with Pertamina's expertise and are needed. We possess the experience, competence, and capability to execute them," emphasized Nicke.
According to Nicke, in each collaboration pursued by the Pertamina Group, a priority is placed on creating partnerships that benefit Indonesia. "The spirit of 'bringing the barrel home' underscores Pertamina's presence in the upstream sector to increase production, allowing processing in Pertamina's domestic refineries to enhance our national energy resilience," she added.
Meanwhile, in Tanzania, Pertamina signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tanzania Petroleum Development Company (TPDC) in the exploration and production of upstream and downstream oil and gas in the Tanzanian region. The signing took place in front of both country leaders, President Joko Widodo and President of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu. President Jokowi also requested Pertamina's involvement in managing the Gas Mnazi Bay Block and converting natural gas into chemicals and fertilizers.
In Mozambique, PIEP also signed an MoU with Buzi Hydrocarbons Pte. Ltd. (BHPL) to assess potential opportunities in oil and gas sector, ranging from upstream, midstream, and downstream to gas-powered electricity generation.
Before this visit, Pertamina signed an MoU with GUMA for collaboration in Kenya, South Africa, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This commitment involves gas pipeline development and optimization, gas-powered electricity generation establishment, and the creation of facilities for exporting electricity to South Africa.
In these established collaborations, Pertamina will also involve its subsidiary companies in project development, such as the oilfield services provider PT Pertamina Drilling Service and PT Elnusa Tbk, as well as Pertamina New Renewable Energy (Pertamina NRE).
Nicke stated that Pertamina's initiatives in Africa reflect its role as a state-owned enterprise in carrying out the government's mission to enhance bilateral relations while expanding business potential and going global.
"We hope that all agreed-upon collaborations will benefit all parties involved, especially to Pertamina and Indonesia. Because we embody the spirit of 'bringing the barrels home,' signifying that Pertamina's overseas expansion should contribute to the Indonesian society’s well-being," she concluded.
Pertamina, as a leading company in the energy transition, is committed to supporting the Net Zero Emission 2060 target by continuously promoting programs that directly impact the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) achievement. All these efforts align with Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) implementation across all Pertamina's business lines and operations.**