A two-day Ghana – Guyana Local Content Conference on providing services to the oil and gas sector opens at the Guyana Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown on Thursday, promising rich exchanges of knowledge and experience and the prospects for possible strategic partnerships.
Local startup companies are particularly being targeted and can benefit from free tickets to the conference once they register.
The conference is organised in part by the Ghana Chamber of Commerce Guyana and Chairman Gabby Asare Otechere-Darko says it’s an opportunity for Guyanese to learn the secrets of the trade.
The other organising partners are ALA Strategic Consults Ltd, with support from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Local Content Secretariat in Guyana and Ghana’s three key state agencies in the petroleum sector, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, the Ghana National Gas Company and the Petroleum Commission.
“The idea for us is how we can get partnerships, is how we can get Guyanese companies to see how we learned the hard way,” Otechere-Darko told the News Room.
“The whole idea is so Guyanese can optimise what comes to Guyana from these oil resources… it’s a win, win collaboration we are seeking and where there is no collaboration there will be exchange of ideas,” he added.
In a separate statement earlier on Thursday, The Chamber said all is set for the much-anticipated two-day Ghana – Guyana Local Content Conference from the 10th to the 11th of August 2023, at the Marriott Hotel, Georgetown, Guyana.
“This is a huge opportunity for consultants and service providers in the upstream petroleum sector in both countries to create strategic partnerships, share experiences, explore investment and collaboration opportunities and discuss various ways of deepening local capacity and participation in the oil and gas sectors of the two countries,” says Mr. Nicholas Deygoo of National Hardware, Guyana.
The first of its kind, the conference will bring together industry players from the private and public sector from both countries to discuss pertinent issues and exchange ideas in the area of local content and capacity building in the Guyanese upstream petroleum sector.
Commenting on the conference during a recent webinar, Prof. Suresh Narine of CGX Energy, stated that “local content cannot, realize its full potential without the right partnerships. As a fresh country on the petroleum scene there’s a lot of room for growth in terms of skillset, and opportunities in terms of finance partnerships. Entrance into the sector in Guyana would require not just skillset and know-how, but the ability to create the right financing”.
Organised in line with the cooperation agreement between Ghana and Guyana, this conference is a practical way of giving meaning to the agreement. Discussions will focus on promoting local workforce development, technology transfer and knowledge sharing, local content participation and capacity building.
“The focus on local participation is crucial especially at the early stages of oil exploration in any country. It brings about reassurance and makes oil wealth accessible to citizens who cannot be left out, and we are beyond thrilled to be part of the conversations”, says Mr. Stanley Amarteifio, CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce, Guyana.
Experts in the upstream oil and gas sector will be in attendance to share invaluable insights and experiences that can shape the future of the petroleum sector in both countries. The conference will include panel discussions on various themes, B2B engagements and networking opportunities. For more information and to register for the conference, kindly visit https://wowlogbook.com/events/local-content-conference or call +592 674 2315.
