S.C. attorney addresses ABA on Africa
August 11, 2014
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Environmental attorney Tom Mullikin delivered a presentation via teleconference last month to members of the American Bar Association (ABA) and the ABA’s Africa Committee; the subject – “Emerging Natural Gas Development in Africa – Doing Business in Africa.”
As part of the presentation delivered July 31, Mullikin – pres. of the Mullikin Law Firm and Global Eco Adventures – discussed the 24 African countries with proven gas reserves, each within the continent’s five regions, and reviewed for example Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Angola, South Africa, and Tanzania, with a primary focus on Mozambique; the nation positioned to become the third largest natural gas exporter behind Australia and Qatar.
“At 509,406-trillion cubic feet of proven reserves of natural gas, the African continent is one of the richest aggregate reserves – if not the richest reserve – of natural gas in the world,” says Mullikin. “That number is projected to rise as exploration for gas reserves on the continent continues.”
According to Mullikin, Nigeria has the largest natural gas reserves on the continent, and North Africa remains the continent’s leading region for natural gas production. Moreover, “Development of unconventional reserves, such as shale oil and gas, is reducing demand for energy from world markets,” he says.
Reviewing Mozambique, Mullikin detailed key legislation in that country, the national agencies that administer natural gas development, Mozambique’s gas-development strategy, regulatory structure, environmental issues, tax law, the history of that nation’s political instability and associated security risks.
The presentation by Mullikin is not his first work with the broader ABA.
Working in coordination with the ABA’s International Environmental Law Committee and the United Nations Development Programme, Mullikin led an international group of 52 attorneys in a review of the Republic of Fiji’s mineral and seabed mining legislation, drafting proposed legislation aimed at protecting the Pacific island nation’s rich mineral resources.
The Fiji work began in 2013 and is ongoing.
“Tom Mullikin has a huge heart for Fiji, the Pacific Rim nations, and the world,” said Tevita G. Boseiwaqa, permanent secretary, Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources, Republic of Fiji. “What Mullikin and his international team has done is strengthening the foundation of Fiji’s economy so that we as a nation may thrive in the global marketplace, while protecting both the Fijian people and our rich natural resources for many years to come.”
Mullikin is widely considered an expert in energy and environmental issues with emphasis on global climate change. He has led environmental expeditions to every continent and lectured at various conferences and universities worldwide.
– For more information visit http://globalecoadventures.org/
