On April 16, 2024, the NATO Defense College Commandant Lieutenant General Max A.L.T. Nielsen, took part in “Energy Strategies 2024 – Africa, NATO and Energy Security of Supply,” an Advanced Research Workshop on energy security challenges and opportunities.
Organized by the NATO Defense College Foundation in cooperation with the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme, the Policy Center for the New South, the Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, and the Middle East Institute Switzerland, this workshop took place at Le Méridien Visconti Hotel in Rome.
The Commandant delivered welcome remarks alongside Alessandro Minuto Rizzo, President of the NATO Defense College Foundation, and Stefano La Tella, Counsellor at the Office of the Diplomatic Advisor, Presidency of the Council of Ministers. In his address, Lieutenant General Max A.L.T. Nielsen raised four critical points related to energy: Alliance cohesion and cooperation; the notion of energy autonomy; mitigating climate change; and the impact of energy on the African continent. He underscored how energy-related dynamics could have a positive impact on Africa’s economic and social development and that these dynamics should “be harnessed only through collaboration and market integration.” He noted that “it is only timely that we start sharing views across these different perspectives and inspire the type of critical thinking that eventually can pave the way for better solution for our common future, safety and security.”
Opening remarks were followed by three panel discussions, each followed by a Q&A session. Featuring subject matter experts, scholars and practitioners, the conference enabled insightful discussions about the challenges and risks of the energy supply market. The panel discussions emphasized the importance of international cooperation and market integration for energy security and stability. They shed light on the cooperation between NATO countries and partners, and the African continent, as well as on the structures that shape and regulate these exchanges.
NDC Public Affairs Office
(Prepared by Ms Chloé Ketels, FRA C)
NATO Defense College