"The President of Angola entered the list for the first time after several years of reforms in the industry, which made it one of the most competitive in the continent", reads the note accompanying the disclosure of the list, led by the director general of the oil company French Total in Africa, Nicolas Terraz.
"The second largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa has been riding a wave of ambitious reforms since 2018, which can be very beneficial to put the country on the road to recovery in 2021", it is also pointed out in the text, which explains the importance of the new legislation in the sector, which "truly revived the hydrocarbon sector in Angola and its attractiveness for investors".
João Lourenço's leadership, in eighth place on the list, "is more important than ever to further support the sector's recovery and increase the development of local content", argues in the report with the 25 most important faces in the sector in 2021 .
The list includes names like the President of Nigeria, the Director-General of the African Department at the UK Ministry of Commerce or the Director of the Bank of Exports and Imports of China.
Also on the list is the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources of Mozambique, Ernesto Tondela, with the CEA saying that the governor has "strategic decisions to make" regarding the largest natural gas project in sub-Saharan Africa, underway in northern Mozambique.
"Between preparing the domestic market for a gas revolution and ensuring that job creation and the development of local content are not lost in the process, Tondela oversees the energy sector in Mozambique at a crucial time in the country's history", reads in the report, which concludes that "its leadership and conduct will be central in transforming natural resources into economic growth".
