Gas could be a game changer in South Africa if government gets it right by securing policy coherence and programme alignment across government, said Garth Strachan, deputy director-general of industrial policy development at the Department of Trade and Industry (dti).
Speaking during the three-day Africa Gas Forum held in Sandton this week, Strachan said the development of a roadmap of institutions, legislation and regulation for South Africa and the region would secure an appropriate coherent gas industrialisation roadmap.
“It will eventually also drive intergovernmental co-operation in the gas sector,” he added. “The recent discoveries of gas in Mozambique, Angola and Tanzania provide a huge opportunity for South Africa and the rest of the continent.”
Strachan said South Africa also had high potential and increased demand for gas, coupled with industrial strength and relative diversity, technical commodity expertise and existing bilateral engagements across the region. “This represents a significant opportunity for regional industrial integration,” he commented.
He added that by tapping into the gas sector, South Africa had the potential to create sustainable jobs and develop mechanisms that would stimulate competition and market development over time.
