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Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR) Francis R. Fannon will visit Sub-Saharan Africa from November 2 to 9, including South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana. The purpose of his trip is to reaffirm sustained partnerships in energy security and energy resources. Assistant Secretary Fannon will engage with government, business, and civil society to discuss equitable regulatory environments in hydrocarbon production and sustainable energy minerals development. This trip further integrates the whole-of-government approach to support African energy security and to increase U.S.-Africa trade and investment, along with Prosper Africa and Power Africa.

Assistant Secretary Fannon is visiting the region for the first time as the Department of State’s highest-ranking energy diplomat. This trip serves as a groundbreaking opportunity to advance new potential partnerships forged at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York in September, where the United States launched the Energy Resources Governance Initiative (ERGI). ERGI is an international initiative to develop best practices for sustainable mineral development underpinning clean energy technology.

From November 2-6, Assistant Secretary Fannon will be in Cape Town, South Africa, where he will deliver a keynote address at the Africa Oil Week (http://www.Africa-OilWeek.com) conference, attended by numerous African energy stake holding nations. From November 6-7, Assistant Secretary Fannon will be in Windhoek, Namibia, to support government-to-government relationships on energy and mines. He will conclude his Sub-Saharan Africa trip in Gaborone, Botswana, November 7-9, where he will reaffirm Botswana’s founding partnership on ERGI.

For further information, contact Donald Kilburg, Spokesperson for the Bureau of Energy Resources, at KilburgDF@america.gov or http://bit.ly/2WDHbFZ. Additional information is available on Twitter at @EnergyAtState.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Oil Week.

Media Contact: Joanna Kotyrba Email: Joanna.Kotyrba@hyve.group

About Africa Oil Week: Africa Oil Week (http://www.Africa-OilWeek.com) is the leading oil and gas event for the continent, with over 1,800 key executives attending from around the world to broker new deals. The global E&P community (government, NOCs, international oil companies, independents, investors and service providers) is brought together in Cape Town each November. This unique event is a hub for deal-making and building networks with senior decision-makers.