A Note From The Editor

2005/11/16

It is an honour for me to be the guest editor of this month's Traders publication.
In this month's edition of Traders we focus on feedback from the 18th World Petroleum Congress held in Johannesburg in August. The increase in the oil price topped the agenda, but other issues such as Africa's oil production and infrastructure also dominated discussions. While agriculture remains fundamental to Africa's people, there is a general euphoria among African nations about the continent's ability to play a role in the global oil and gas arena. Countries like Angola and Nigeria are at the front of the pack, but ambitious plans from countries like Morocco, Algeria and Libya are set to position Africa as the second largest producer of oil, overtaking Mexico.
This publication highlights what key players have to say about the oil and gas industry, where it is headed and what future plans are. Having played a small part in the congress, I discuss DuPont's plans on how it intends to access the African market, particularly in the oil and gas industry (see my interview on page 4).
Speaking of African markets, Angola, has signed a bilateral agreement with South Africa and with Angola celebrating 30 years of democracy this year, we look at this country's development and its emerging business and trade opportunities.
There are numerous other interest¬ing issues covered in this month's publication including Africa's trade relations with China, technical innovations in railways and an overview of exciting developments in Africa's education arena.