Speakers

Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim is the Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO), a position he has held since January 2020. He holds a PhD in Political Science from Rutgers University, USA (1988), a Master’s degree from Bayero University, Kano (1983), and a Bachelor’s degree from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (1980). Before joining APPO, Dr. Ibrahim served as Adviser on International Energy Relations to four successive Nigerian Ministers of Petroleum Resources (2009–2020), representing Nigeria at major intergovernmental energy bodies including OPEC, the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), the International Energy Forum (IEF), and APPO itself. He previously held senior positions at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), where he served as Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division (2010–2014), and earlier spent seven years at the OPEC Secretariat in Vienna as Head of Public Relations and Information and Editor-in-Chief of the OPEC Bulletin and OPEC Review. Before entering the energy sector, Dr. Ibrahim had an extensive career in journalism, serving as Managing Director/CEO of the New Nigerian Newspapers (1999–2003) and holding editorial and management roles at the Daily Times of Nigeria. He began his career in academia as a Lecturer in Political Science at Bayero University, with several publications to his name.