NJ Ayuk tells Africa's energy industry to stand against xenophobia
The African Energy Chamber's chairman told African Energy Week that unity cannot be preached in conference rooms while division grows in the streets.
Cape Town — NJ Ayuk, the executive chairman of the African Energy Chamber, used African Energy Week in Cape Town to condemn xenophobia against African nationals, Financial Afrik reports.
What he said
- Preaching Pan-African and global unity in air-conditioned rooms rings hollow if division takes root in the streets.
- Hostility towards foreigners and fellow Africans is a stain on everyone's conscience, and there is no middle ground on it.
- On behalf of the chamber, he condemned xenophobia "in all its ugly forms".
- He backed President Cyril Ramaphosa's stand against xenophobia and Afrophobia, citing the president's statement that there is no place for intolerance in South Africa.
Why energy needs Africans to work together
Mr Ayuk argued that the energy industry shows why cooperation is essential. Pipelines and power grids do not stop at borders, he said, and the sector depends on engineers, operators and financiers of many nationalities working side by side.
He also warned against resource nationalism, which he called dangerous, and urged vigilance against it.
Source: Financial Afrik, 16 October 2026. Translated and paraphrased from French.
