Chief Executive Officer at Ghana’s Petroleum Commission, Egbert Faibille Jnr., said that the developments on Guyana’s local content front are “phenomenal”.
He made the comment on the sidelines of the International Energy Conference and Expo at the Marriott Hotel, Kingston on Thursday.
“Your government and people will be in the lead towards ensuring that the benefits of oil and gas trickle down to everybody, so that this land will continue to be a land of happiness, and of course, a land of diversity with true value and benefits for even the investors and also, the government and the people.”
Having served as a member of the Board of Petroleum Commissions and Chair of Ghana’s Local Content Committee, Faibille’s comment is significant, as his country has a highly successful local content story.
Luckily for Guyana, the renowned Trinidadian expert, Anthony Paul, who helped craft Ghana’s local content story, was also instrumental in the development of Guyana’s.
Despite the sidelining of Paul by the previous APNU+AFC Administration, the new PPP/C Government hired him shortly after assuming office to serve on a diverse local content advisory panel.
A team from Ghana also came last year to review and advise on Guyana’s draft Local Content Bill before it was tabled.
Faibille said, “We from Ghana are here because we realise first of the commonalities between the people of Guyana and our own people, and the fact that because of the technical cooperation, you know, arrangements between our respective governments, we see Guyana as a friend, as a brother or sister country and we want to take this relationship further.”
The state oil executive said Ghana wants to see Guyanese businesses come into Ghana at some point to work with their indigenous businesses, and vice versa. He said companies from the two countries will be able to develop more synergies if they partner.
Already, Guyana has signed a series of cooperation agreements with Ghana and is set to partner, based on discussions had when the two countries’ Vice Presidents visited each other’s countries last year.