Nimer Al-Sabah: Developing OPEC+ Strengthens Arab Energy Cooperation

Deputy Minister of Oil and representative of Kuwait on the Executive Board of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), Sheikh Dr. Nimer Fahad Al-Malki Al-Sabah, participated in the 177th meeting of the organization’s Executive Board, held yesterday via video conferencing, to review the organization’s activities and future prospects.

In a press statement issued by the Ministry of Oil, Sheikh Al-Sabah said the meeting reviewed the latest developments regarding the implementation of the second phase of OAPEC’s development and restructuring project. He noted that this project lays the foundation for a new phase that expands the organization’s areas of work and tools through a more integrated system for research, information, digital transformation, and strategic partnerships. This, he added, enhances its capacity to keep pace with the rapid transformations in the energy industry and increases the added value it provides to member states.

Sheikh Al-Sabah stated that the second phase of OAPEC’s development project moves the restructuring process into a broader executive framework, based on several strategic initiatives and parallel tracks to develop research, media, corporate communications, the digital system, and partnerships. He emphasized that strengthening the organization’s role as a leading Arab knowledge center in the energy sector is a key dimension of this phase, enabling more effective utilization of data, studies, and specialized expertise.

He clarified that the development path goes beyond updating the corporate identity to building capacities and operational tools commensurate with the broadening concept of energy and the interplay of its economic, technical, and operational dimensions. The focus is on converting approved initiatives into executable programs and projects within clear and sustainable institutional frameworks.

Furthermore, as the host country of the organization, Kuwait views this phase as an opportunity to build on OAPEC’s extensive experience and expand its contribution to the Arab energy system, while safeguarding the common interests of member states and developing communication and cooperation channels with specialized regional and international institutions.

Sheikh Al-Sabah highlighted the importance of expanding the organization’s network of relations with specialized regional and international institutions. He noted that the meeting discussed a proposal submitted by Kuwait to explore areas and opportunities for cooperation with the International Energy Forum and the World Energy Council, thereby opening additional avenues for knowledge and expertise exchange and building partnerships that serve the organization’s objectives and the interests of member states. The Executive Board recommended building on the results of the study prepared regarding partnerships and proceeding to explore the cooperation opportunities proposed by Kuwait.

He affirmed that digital transformation constitutes one of the practical pillars of the upcoming phase, given projects aimed at developing the technical infrastructure, the website, and the digital library to transform them into an Arab knowledge center in the energy sector, alongside electronic archiving and document management, while ensuring information security, data protection, system sustainability, and knowledge transfer.

Concluding his remarks, the Deputy Minister of Oil and Kuwait’s representative on OAPEC’s Executive Board, Sheikh Dr. Nimer Fahad Al-Malki Al-Sabah, emphasized that the coming phase requires continued coordination among member states to translate development tracks into sustainable institutional outcomes and to build more effective tools for research, knowledge, and cooperation. This, he said, will enhance the organization’s contribution to serving the Arab energy sector and keep pace with rapid changes on the international stage.