The inaugural AAPG/SPE Africa Energy and Technology Conference concluded on 7 December, having attracted over 170 attendees, from 24 countries and representing a total of 83 institutions.

The three day event included the following panel sessions

Executive plenary session 'Africa Energy in the 21st Century; Frontier Plays and Challenges'

SPEAKERS:

• Emeka Ene, CEO, Oildata Inc and Xenergi
• Keith Hill, President and CEO, Africa Oil Corp
• Andrew Kamau, Principal Secretary, State Department for Petroleum, Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Kenya
• Christopher Smith, Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, U. S. Department of Energy
• Dr. Scott W. Tinker, Director, Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas, Austin
• MaryJane Mwangi, Ag. CEO, National Oil Corporation Kenya (represented by Francis N. Njugun)

Social Responsibility; Smart Goals for a Sustainable Future

SPEAKERS:

• Manuel Gracas de Deus, General Manager — Health, Environment and Safety, Chevron Africa & Latin America
• Bill Haskett, Managing Director, Haskett Consulting International
• Gurjeet Phull Jenkins, Country Manager Kenya, Anadarko
• Dr. Connie Martinon, Social Affairs Manager, Total Exploration and Production, Lecturer — University of Nairobi
• Janeen Judah, President, SPE

Petroleum Regulation and Contract Sanctity; Ensuring an Orderly and Sustainable Future

SPEAKERS:

• Sam Abraham, Geothermal Project Manager
• Ali Uwais, Executive Director, Engineering and Technical Services, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company
• Luca Dragonetti, Managing Director, Eni
• Clovice Irumba, Senior Geochemist, Petroleum Authority of Uganda
• Phillip Steyn, Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Rhino Resources

The conference highlights also included:

• A keynote address by Christopher Smith, Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, U.S. Department of Energy who spoke about powering Africa through LNG Development
• A movie night, where Dr. Scott W. Tinker, Director, Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas, introduced the documentary "Switch", based on his personal visits to 20 of the world's leading energy sites in 11 countries
• A luncheon keynote speech by Dr. Scott W. Tinker on Energy Security, Energy Poverty, and Peace

The technical program included 48 papers and 20 poster presentations on the following topics:

• Exploration Geoscience
• Production Engineering and Operations
• Drilling and Completions
• Reservoir Engineering
• Commercialization and Regulatory
• Health, Safety, Sustainability and Social Responsibility
• Renewables, Gas and CO₂ Sequestration

The conference was followed by a 2-day field trip to the Great East Africa Rift Valley, including stops at outcrops and geothermal facilities in Hell's Gate National Park as well as insights into the rift valley structural geology.

We would like to thank the Executive Committee and Technical Program Committee members for their tremendous efforts and support of this conference and particularly to David Blanchard, AETC General Chair, Bill Bosworth and 'Gbenga Onadeko, Technical Program Committee Co-chairs. We would also like to thank and recognize the sponsors of the conference: National Oil Corporation of Kenya, KenGen, Welltec, Africa Oil, Baker Hughes and Schlumberger. Finally, we would like to thank all speakers and poster presenter for being a part of this conference.