Photo caption: IEF Secretary General Joseph McMonigle (right) with Zimbabwe Minister of Finance Mthuli Ncube.
The International Energy Forum has announced that Zimbabwe has joined as a full member of the organization, bringing the total number of member countries to 73.
The IEF’s mission is to promote energy security through dialogue between producers and consumers. It is the world’s largest organization of energy ministers, accounting for more than 90 percent of global energy trade.
“Zimbabwe is pleased to join the International Energy Forum to promote dialogue with fellow members on pressing energy issues,” said Honourable Professor Mthuli Ncube, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, who participated in a signing ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“Closer collaboration with the principal actors in the global energy market is of great value to Zimbabwe as we seek to reduce energy poverty and enhance energy security, while facing up to the challenges caused by price inflation, climate change and geopolitical uncertainty,’ he added.
Founded 33 years ago to promote dialogue between members of the International Energy Agency and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, the IEF today has more members than both groups combined, including many unaligned countries including Argentina, China, India and South Africa. It is expected to hold its 17th Ministerial meeting in May this year.
IEF Secretary General Joseph McMonigle said: “The IEF is pleased to welcome Zimbabwe as a full member, bringing our community of African members to 23 countries.”
“The IEF is committed to ensuring that Zimbabwe’s and Africa’s voices are heard in the global energy dialogue, especially the urgent need to scale up the supply of reliable and affordable energy to eradicate energy poverty, which is a prerequisite for development.”
“We also look forward to collaborating with Zimbabwe on the energy transition, exploring how this important nation can expand the electricity grid to integrate new baseload and renewable energy sources,” he added.
