Japan’s top oil refiner, JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation has opened its first Africa representative office in Johannesburg, South Africa, signaling a possible business expansion on the continent.
The company, which is known as a global leader in refining and distributing petroleum and petrochemical products, hopes to partner with African oil companies in the upstream (exploration) and downstream (retail).
It already has South Africa’s integrated energy and chemical company, Sasol as one of its partners in the fuel-from-gas business.
JX Nippon’s present research finding indicates that demand in the lubricating oil industry is expected to increase at 2 percent a year until 2020. Thus, it plans to conduct a comprehensive marketing research that will help sustain its business in the continent.
Takahiro Nomura, GM of the Johannesburg office, said while the company is looking for more partnership in Africa, the total level of its investment would be determined after the company had conducted extensive market research.
Nevertheless, the company’s Senior Vice-President Yasuji Araki told South Africa’s Business Day that the company’s expansion ambition would not be held back.
“In the next 10 years we want to make a big success of the South African business,” Araki said.
By opening its first fully fledged representative office in South Africa, the company hopes to take advantage of Africa burgeoning economy by growing its footprint across the continent. (VENTURES AFRICA)
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