A special ministerial meeting was scheduled for today at OPEC Ministerial Meeting (held on December 1, 2021), Owji said after the Special Meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries held via video conference on Monday, January 3, 2022.

Making decisions on the new OPEC secretary general was the only meeting agenda. As we know, the current secretary general (Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo) is due to step down at the end of July, he stated.

Introducing nominees for OPEC’s new secretary general was considered some time ago and member countries were called at the 182nd Ordinary Meeting of OPEC Conference for announcing their nominees within two weeks.

Despite the call, Kuwait was the only country that officially announced its nominee for the position about two months ago and none of the other OPEC member countries intorduced a nominee for the post, he added.

Given the conditions and experiences of Kuwaiti nominee, member countries reached a consensus at the meeting to appoint Haitham Al-Ghais as OPEC’s new secretary general for three years, Owji said.

The new secretary general will begin his term as of July 2022.