Follow-up Meetings:Visit to Sudan and Libya

  With the aim of deepening ties with oil-producing countries and promoting mutual understanding and cooperation, Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive Director of JCCP, visited Sudan and Libya and held policy dialogues with top management of state-run oil companies in the two countries and with officers of the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

1. Sudan

  On July 4 and 5, visits were made to the SUDAPET Head Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Embassy of Japan in Sudan. The relationship between Sudan and JCCP has only recently begun in FY2009, so various views were exchanged on the outlook of the continuation and further development of JCCP activities in Sudan.

 (1) SUDAPET Head Office                                                                

At SUDAPET,Mr.Salah Wahbi, President & CEO

  In the morning of July 5, Mr. Sase visited the SUDAPET Head Office to

meet with Mr. Salah H.Wahbi, President & CEO, and other officers.
  Firstly, Mr. Sase was shown to a conference room for a meeting with Mr. Ali Faroug Abbas Shahin, Vice President, who greeted the delegation and expressed his pleasure at receiving the courtesy call. Mr. Sase said that JCCP highly welcomes the rapid development of ties with Sudan and wishes to continue the amicable relationship. After exchanging words of greeting, the two leaders respectively introduced the activities of their organizations and deepened mutual understanding.
  The SUDAPET side said they are strongly interested in participating in JCCP courses such as on inspection and reliability diagnosis, process control, and human resource development, particularly because the company mainly engages in crude oil processes, from production to export. They also expressed their expectation of receiving JCCP’s cooperation when SUDAPET launches its plan to build a small-scale refinery/power plant in the southern part of the country.
  Following the meeting with the vice president, Mr.Sase moved to the president’s office to meet with Mr.Wahbi. Mr. Sase indicated that the participation of an employee from Khartoum Refinery Company Limited in a JCCP course held in October 2009 for the first time marked the beginning of relations between Sudan and JCCP, and noted that JCCP has received a total of nine Sudanese participants to its regular courses as of July 2010. Mr. Wahbi stated that SUDAPET places high priority on cooperation with Asia, and has particularly large expectations for the introduction of Japanese technologies. He also requested JCCP’s cooperation in reference to SUDAPET’s aspiring project for construction of a small-scale refinery/power plant.
  As a conclusion of the meeting, Mr. Sase promised to continue JCCP’s relationship with Sudan through JCCP training programs, and to explore new avenues for technical cooperation, such as in the construction of SUDAPET’s small-scale refinery.

(2) Ministry of Foreign Affairs

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sudan H.E. Mr. Rahmatalla Mohamed Osman, Undersecretary (right)

  In the afternoon of July 5, Mr. Sase visited the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and met with H.E.Mr. Rahmatalla Mohamed Osman, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  In his words of greeting, Mr. Sase noted that the relationship between JCCP and Sudan was initiated by the visit of former Undersecretary Dr. Mutrif Siddig Ali Al Nimeiri to Japan in October 2009, and has since evolved into a friendly relationship. In return, Mr. Osman said that technical cooperation is extremely important to Sudan, and that further cooperation based on JCCP’s expertise is strongly sought in the future, because technology is the accumulation of trial and error. He also informed the JCCP side that H.E. Mr. Hamza Elamin A. Baau, former Ambassador of the Embassy of the Republic of Sudan in Japan who has also visited JCCP in the past, has been appointed Auditor General, and a new ambassador is slated to take his post in Japan.
  Before parting, Mr. Sase extended a warm invitation to Mr. Osman to visit JCCP when he comes to Japan.
  The meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was broadcast on national television network news in Sudan, and earned an article in two newspapers the following day. This press coverage in itself indicated the high level of interest in Japanese technical cooperation in Sudan.

(3) Embassy of Japan in Sudan

At the residence of the Japanese Ambassador to Sudan Mr. Salah H. Wahbi, President & CEO, SUDAPET (fifth from left), H.E. Mr. Akinori Wada, Ambassador of Japan to Sudan, (fifth from right)

  On July 4, Mr. Sase visited the Embassy of Japan in Sudan and met with H.E. Mr. Akinori Wada, Ambassador of Japan to Sudan.
  At the onset of the meeting, Mr. Sase briefly outlined JCCP’s relationship with Sudan, giving an account of the background to receiving Sudanese participants to JCCP courses and their steady increase thereafter, and noting that crude oil from Sudan is entering Japan through international markets.
  Ambassador Wada, in response, supplied information about Sudan, that it is a new crude-oil producing country showing a steady increase in crude oil production volume and holding promising potential to further increase its current production capacity of 500,000 BPD in the future. He also noted that Sudan exports 100,000 BPD, or roughly 20% of its total crude oil exports to Japan, and assured JCCP that the Sudanese government is well aware of Japan as an important export market.
  On the night of July 5, a dinner was held with executive members of SUDAPET at the ambassador’s residence. Mr. Wahbi, President & CEO, and three other members enjoyed an evening of pleasant conversation over Japanese cuisine. In addition to information that was presented during Mr. Sase’s visit to SUDAPET in the morning, the SUDAPET members shared their views on the future perspective of their company. With Mr. Wahbi also sharing information about himself, such as his personal history and thoughts, the gathering also proved to be conducive to building personal connections.

2. Libya
Mr. Sase spent July 7 and 8 visiting the National Oil Corporation (NOC) and the Embassy of Japan in Libya and exchanging views on the continuation and further development of JCCP programs in Libya. Libya started sending participants to JCCP regular courses in 2001, and JCCP has since received an average of 20 participants from the country every year. A technical cooperation project has also been implemented in FY2007-2008.

(1) NOC

At National Oil Corporation,Mr. Hassan Essaid, Human Resources Cooperation Coordinator,(second from right)

  Mr. Sase arrived at NOC in the morning of July 8, and met with Mr. Hassan Essaid, Human Resources Cooperation Coordinator. He had just recently participated in a JCCP regular course in November 2009, so he remembered Mr. Sase well, and initiated a friendly meeting, sharing photos from his visit to Japan and recalling fond memories with JCCP lecturers.
  In regard to the JCCP course he attended, Mr. Hassan said that the organization, management, technologies, and all other aspects of the course were well planned and excellent beyond all else. Furthermore, he said that, as Human Resources Cooperation Coordinator, he hopes to extend the JCCP experience to many more NOC employees in the future.
  As to future expectations of JCCP training programs, Mr. Hassan said that NOC seeks courses that would raise motivations in relation to personnel and refinery affairs, and also requested the implementation of a Customized Program-Overseas (CPO) in Libya, so that a larger number of NOC employees could participate in a JCCP training program.

(2) Embassy of Japan in Libya

At the Japanese Embassy in Libya, H.E. Mr. Wataru Nishigahiro, Japanese Ambassador to Libya (right)

  In the afternoon of July 7, Mr. Sase visited the Embassy of Japan in Libya to meet with H.E. Mr. Wataru Nishigahiro, Ambassador.
  Ambassador Nishigahiro firstly provided a general overview of the crude oil production situation in Libya.
He also introduced some facts regarding Libya’s modern history, explaining that a revolution occurred in 1969, and various events have led the international community to impose economic sanctions on Libya in 1992. Those sanctions have now been lifted, and a business climate is gradually emerging in Libya today.
  Leaving aside any political implications, Ambassador Nishigahiro expressed his strong wish for JCCP to continue its activities in Libya. In consideration of the facts that many people in Libya are fluent in English owing to the country’s geographical and historical proximity to Europe, and that NOC is placing strong emphasis on upgrading its technologies and personnel education, the Ambassador said he is convinced that Libya would benefit tremendously from JCCP training programs.
                                                                                                                                                                  <by Hiroaki Hara, Technical Cooperation Dept.>