African Energy Chamber urges boycott of London Energy Summit
The African Energy Chamber (AEC) has called on African governments, companies and industry leaders to boycott the Africa Energies Summit 2026 scheduled to hold in London, alleging discriminatory hiring practices by the conference organisers.
Mr NJ Ayuk, the Executive Chairman of the chamber, made the call in a statement issued on Thursday in Lagos.
Ayuk accused the organisers of maintaining employment practices that sideline Africans and Black professionals, despite deriving significant commercial value from Africa’s energy sector.
He argued that institutions benefiting from Africa’s energy resources must demonstrate a genuine commitment to African participation within their own structures.
“Africa’s energy future cannot be built on exclusion,” Ayuk said.
“Institutions that depend on African governments, African companies and African participation cannot claim credibility if Africans and Black professionals are shut out of meaningful employment and leadership opportunities.
“If you profit from Africa, you must also create space for Africans.
According to him, the boycott call reflects the chamber’s position that African companies, policymakers and regulators should withhold support for the London summit unless organisers address concerns about representation.
Ayuk also directed his message at policymakers, stating that African officials who advocate local content policies domestically must uphold the same principles when engaging with international industry platforms.
“African ministers and regulators cannot champion indigenous participation at home while appearing alongside institutions accused of excluding Black professionals.
“If we want real transformation in the global energy industry, Africans must not only supply the resources; we must also have a seat at the table where the decisions, jobs and opportunities are created,” he said.
Ayuk noted that the dispute extends beyond a single conference and reflects a broader debate about who benefits from Africa’s role in the global energy economy.
The chamber argued that African participation should go beyond sponsorships or speaking roles to include employment opportunities, career advancement and decision-making influence within organisations that shape global discourse on the continent’s natural resources.
With the boycott call now public, Ayuk said the standoff presents a test of principle for the wider energy industry, whether institutions that build their businesses around Africa are prepared to align their rhetoric on partnership and local content with tangible inclusion within their own ranks.
He added that by targeting such a high-profile platform, the chamber aims to bring the issue of representation to the centre of industry debate rather than leaving it as a peripheral concern.
According to him, tensions had been building for weeks as the chamber questioned what it described as a contradiction between Africa-focused messaging and the internal composition of institutions profiting from the continent’s energy narrative.
The chamber maintained that the principle of local content often applied to oil blocks, procurement and supply contracts should also extend to organisations that host conferences, shape industry discussions and generate revenue from Africa’s energy sector.
In the chamber’s view, platforms that place Africa at the core of their business model must also be open to scrutiny regarding whether Africans are adequately represented within their own structures.
