LAGOS — Foreign lenders are avoiding African oil and gas companies because of operating risks, inconsistent policies and regulatory uncertainty, Alero Balogun, General Manager of Corporate Communications at Oando, said at a forum organised by energy journalists in Lagos. She said there is a gap between the long-term capital the sector needs and what international lenders are now willing to provide, and called for a stronger local financing system. Chichi Emenike, Acting Managing Director of Neconde Energy, said the government's gas development push is being slowed by weak infrastructure and price controls on gas. She noted that gas operations are almost entirely paid for in dollars, and called for full liberalisation of the market. She said reforms under the Petroleum Industry Act had helped but were not enough.