As 2025 draws to a close, it is an opportune moment to reflect on what has been a busy, productive and strategically important year for ARDA.

Beyond the many industry events that I, along with members of our team, have attended across Africa and internationally, this year has been defined by deeper member engagement, strengthened partnerships, expanded thought leadership and purposeful preparation for our 20th anniversary in 2026.

ARDA Events in 2025

Our own events remained central to ARDA’s mission of advancing collaboration, innovation and sustainable development across Africa’s downstream energy sector. ARDA Week 2025, our annual flagship conference, took place in Cape Town, South Africa, in April, bringing together more than 600 delegates under the theme “Africa First”. Discussions focused on self-reliance, sustainable growth and energy security for our continent.

During the Annual General Meeting that followed ARDA Week, members elected Mrs Marie-Joséphine Sidibé, Directrice Générale of the Société Multinationale de Bitumes (SMB) of Côte d’Ivoire, as ARDA President, and Engr. Evans Mauta, CEO of Indeni Energy Company Limited of Zambia, as ARDA Vice-President. Since their respective appointments, both have worked actively to promote ARDA’s mission and further increase the visibility of our association.

ARDA Work Groups (WGs) continued to deliver tangible value to members throughout 2025. In addition to regular online meetings, we hosted two in-person events: the Technical Workshop (for Refining & Specifications, Storage & Distribution, HSE & Quality and LPG WGs) in Dakar, Senegal in May, followed by the Support Function Workshop (for Regulation, Human Capital and Sustainable Financing WGs) in Accra, Ghana in June. The latter included a highly productive HR brainstorming session.

Sector-focused dialogue and the open exchange of industry knowledge and expertise also featured prominently in our two annual forums. The ARDA Storage, Distribution & Jet Fuel Forum 2025, held in Dakar, Senegal, in September, further strengthened its position as a key event for Africa’s downstream industry, introducing new specialty product sessions on lubricants and bitumen alongside core themes of logistics and aviation fuels. In October, the ARDA LPG Forum 2025 in Lusaka, Zambia, convened public and private sector stakeholders around the shared goal of significantly increasing access to LPG as a clean cooking fuel across the continent. A particularly powerful message emerged regarding Zambia’s role as a “land-linked” regional hub, highlighting its potential to connect markets across Southern and Central Africa.

In parallel, ARDA continued to build skills and capacity through the ARDA Training Academy, welcoming more than 50 delegates to our Abidjan headquarters for a two-day CITAC training programme titled “Staying Ahead in a Changing African Downstream Market.”

Engagement Across Africa and Beyond

Over the course of the year, I had the privilege of engaging with members, policymakers and partners across the continent and internationally.

The year began with strategic meetings in Abidjan with Société Ivoirienne de Raffinage (SIR), the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons and the Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Energy, followed in February by engagements in the Netherlands, participation in the Nigeria International Energy Summit and the OPEC–Africa Dialogue in Abuja.

Throughout the year – from Abuja to Brazzaville, Dubai to Johannesburg, Nairobi to Paris, and Riyadh to Vienna – ARDA shared the African downstream sector’s vision for supporting the continent’s energy security ambitions across a wide range of regional and global energy platforms.

These engagements enabled us to contribute African perspectives on cleaner fuel specifications, LPG for clean cooking, critical strategic infrastructure requirements, and energy technology and investments, while reinforcing ARDA’s role as a trusted and credible industry voice.

Our presence at major events such as Africa Energy Week, ADIPEC, the OPEC International Seminar, Angola Oil & Gas, NOG Energy Week, MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power Conference and the G20 Leaders Summit ensured consistent engagement with the key stakeholders shaping Africa’s energy future.

Celebrating 20 Years of ARDA

In preparation for our 20th anniversary celebrations in 2026, ARDA hosted two cocktail receptions in the latter part of this year. These events provided valuable opportunities to honour our members and partners, celebrate our leadership, and reaffirm the importance of collaboration. The first took place on the sidelines of the Angola Oil & Gas Conference in Luanda in September and was followed by our December reception in Abidjan, which celebrated our new President and highlighted Côte d’Ivoire’s central role in regional energy security.

Communications and Thought Leadership

From a communications perspective, 2025 marked a further step change in ARDA’s visibility, reach and impact. The thought leadership articles we published, including “What if Africa Couldn’t Import Fuel for 30 Days?” and “Bankable Energy: Why Africa’s Downstream Sector Is the Next Global Investment Frontier”, were widely shared by media channels across the continent.

In parallel, our new Member Focus interview series has helped shine a light on the values, achievements and vision of our member organisations. The first three interviews, featuring Petro Ivoire, Société Camerounaise des Dépôts Pétroliers (SCDP) and Eswatini National Petroleum Company (ENPC), all achieved extensive coverage with very positive reviews.

Together with regular blogs, press releases and media outreach, these efforts have helped amplify ARDA’s voice and showcase the depth and expertise of our membership.

Looking Ahead to 2026

All of this momentum now leads us towards a landmark year. In 2026, ARDA will celebrate its 20th anniversary, culminating in what will be our biggest and best-ever ARDA Week, taking place in Cape Town from 13–17 April 2026. With new formats, expanded content and enhanced opportunities for collaboration, ARDA Week 2026 will reflect both how far we have come and where Africa’s downstream energy sector is heading.

I would like to thank our members, sponsors and partners for their continued trust and engagement. Together, we are building a stronger, more resilient and more sustainable downstream energy sector for Africa.

I wish you all a Happy New Year and look forward to continuing our collaborations in 2026.

Anibor Kragha, ARDA Executive Secretary.

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