JOHANNESBURG, SOUTHAFRICA - EQS - 09 Sep 2019 - Leading Africanenergy attorney NJ Ayuk is confident that a more equitable and prosperousAfrica is within reach. He outlines the avenues individuals, companies andgovernments can pursue to realize that future in his new book, Billions at Play: The Future of AfricanEnergy and Doing Deals.

Among other things, Ayuk believes Africansneed to have better control of their resource wealth--specifically the richesthat lie in the continent's largely unexploited oil and gas basins. At the sametime, he knows Africa is not completely ready to go it alone: the knowledge andtechnical prowess of American multinational energy companies are essential toboth exploration and production. In recent years, however, as those businessesturned their attention to prolific U.S. shale, they've pulled out ofopportunities they consider riskier, and that includes Africa. However, recentmarket trends based on regulatory political decisions have proven risky in USmarkets. Africa is one of the few investment frontiers left where large marginscan still be realized, and it's time America started taking these opportunitiesseriously.

In Chapter 17, American Ingenuity andAfrican Oil and Gas Potential, Ayuk analyzes those risks, separates fear fromreality, and puts forth strategies for attracting American investment,including more lucrative production sharing contracts. The result is a formula AnnNorman, Pioneer Energy's General Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa, supports.

"Like me, Ayuk sees opportunity all aroundhim, and he realizes that appropriate development will solve many of thecontinent's challenges, including power generation," Norman said. "In hischapter about American ingenuity, he recommends a number of thoughtfulapproaches Africa can take to foster American oil and gas investment. For one, Ayukadvocates looking at investments from the American point of view. Is thegovernment stable? Has it always honored foreign contracts? Ayuk knows thereare too many competing interests for American dollars for Africa to be able tooverlook any details and still win.

Ayuk also makes a strong case for morewomen to join the leadership in Oil and Gas. "He marks this as a priority whenit comes to making Africa taking its true place in the world," Norman said.

Colorado-based Pioneer Energy is working onsolutions to help curb gas flaring in Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea, as well asother markets in Africa. These efforts have largely been spearheaded by Norman,who moved to Nigeria to play a more active role in the country's energyindustry. Throughout her career, Norman has been instrumental in introducingU.S. companies into emerging African markets, as well as showcasing and drivingforeign direct investment in Africa, particularly in the healthcare, energy andinfrastructure spaces.

NJ Ayuk is founder and CEO of Pan-Africancorporate law conglomerate, Centurion Law Group (https://CenturionLG.com/);Founder and ExecutiveChairman of the African Energy Chamber (https://EnergyChamber.org/); andco-author of Big Barrels: African Oil and Gas and the Quest for Prosperity(2017).

He is recognized as one of the foremostfigures in African business today.

Billions at Play: The Future of AfricanEnergy and Doing Deals is now available forpre-order on Amazon. Order your copy today.

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