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Environment
Africa Oil is committed to operating in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. We put the protection of people and property first and comply with all legislation and good industry practices.
The Company recognizes that oil and gas activities may result in disturbances to the environment in its areas of operation. Therefore, we are committed to protecting and sustaining the environment and seek to minimize our potential impact.
Our goal is to ensure that activities for which we are responsible cause no harm to our people or our host communities and that we minimize our impact on the environment.
We have established an Environmental Policy that has been approved by the Board of Africa Oil that sets out objectives and expectations applicable to all our activities and can be read here.
Our approach
The objective is to have a single, consistent and simple approach to the planning and management of HSE and Social risks, commensurate with the nature of the risk and Africa Oil’s ability to influence operational management, whilst retaining flexibility to manage specific issues in the most appropriate manner.
Our footprint
As a small organisation operating out of an office environment, our direct carbon footprint is minimal. We occupy a modern office – the size of which suits our capacity – which has been newly refurbished and features energy efficient heating and lighting systems. Based in central London, we have excellent public transport links and the office building itself has bicycle storage facilities. We do not currently capture our Scope 3 emissions for business travel, however, we aim to do so for 2021.
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Health and Safety
We have an Health and safety (H&S) policy in place that ensures the provision of a safe working environment for all those that work for us. Our policy is informed by the World Bank Group’s (WBG) Environmental, Health and Safety guidelines, industry best practice and national regulatory requirements. To support the effective management of Health and Safety this year we conducted a review of our H&S policy and revised where appropriate and developed relevant Standards of Operation.
Our Human Rights Policy, included within our approach to Health and Safety, was developed in accordance with several key frameworks; United Nations Global Compact, United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Voluntary Principles, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and International Labour Organisation (ILO) Fundamental Conventions.
Diversity and inclusion
Africa Oil is committed to cultivating a positive and safe workplace for its employees and others, and discrimination on the basis of any personal characteristics (including age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and disability) protected by human rights law is not tolerated. Our Diversity and Inclusion policy is included in our Code of Business Conduct and was established in compliance with Canadian regulatory requirements.
Training and development
Africa Oil acknowledges the importance of developing the skills and expertise of its employees. While we do not implement a training policy given the small size of our operation, personnel are given every opportunity for growth and development in a fast-moving entrepreneurial environment. Similarly, given our size, we engage with personnel directly through emails and face-to-face interactions and do not capture performance metrics.
Direct contributions to society
In July 2020, we undertook a collaborative venture along with the Kenyan Ministry of Petroleum and Mining and the local government of Turkana South, in the area of the Upstream Field Area, to provide food donations to local communities. It is hoped that this collaborative approach will provide a model for future engagement with local communities.
Africa Oil is a contributing partner to the Lundin Foundation. The Foundation leverages capital from its contributing partners to make impact investments into high potential small and medium enterprises in the areas of agriculture, access to energy and financial services. The Foundation also provides strategic grants that support education and skills development. To date, the Foundation has invested over $13M into SMEs across Sub-Saharan Africa. The Foundation holds monthly Group ESG meetings in which Africa Oil participates.
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Board composition and responsibilities
The board is composed of seven individuals; five men and two women. Our Board Mandate defines the responsibilities of the board. The principal responsibilities are to supervise and evaluate management, to oversee the conduct of business, to set appropriate policies and to approve corporate strategies and goals, as well as identify and understand risks to the Company.
Where appropriate, responsibilities of the Board are delegated to Board Committees. There are five Board Committees: Corporate Governance & Nominating; Audit; Reserves; Compensation; and Environmental Social and Governance, and Health and Safety (ESGHS).
Business Ethics
Africa Oil expects all its personnel to uphold the highest standards in business ethics. These are described through our Anti-Corruption Policy, Corporate Disclosure Policy, Code of Business Conduct, and Whistleblower Policy. Our ESG Policies set forth our expectations.