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Bloomberg
Opec Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo, an oil industry veteran who steered the group through the creation of the Opec+ alliance, has died in his native Nigeria. He was 63.
Barkindo was in the final weeks of his six-year tenure as the top diplomat at Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), where he headed its Vienna-based secretariat. He had returned to Abuja in preparation for a post-Opec career.
Barkindo oversaw one of the most turbulent periods in the organisation’s history, beginning with the creation of the Opec+ coalition just months after his appointment in summer 2016. The Nigerian engaged in a flurry of shuttle diplomacy to establish the once-unthinkable partnership with non-members, personally lobbying leaders including Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
His term spanned a series of production cuts intended to keep global oil markets in balance, culminating in the unprecedented reductions during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. With a warm and jovial style — and a fondness for wearing local headdress while visiting Opec+ member nations — Barkindo was often key in easing tensions inside the fractious alliance.