THE Guyana Oil and Gas Virtual Summit, which is slated for December 1-3, 2020, will be placing keen focus on local content, and increasing the participation of women in Guyana’s oil-and-gas sector.

Organised by CWC/Global Future Energy Limited (GFEn), in partnership with the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and supported by the Government of Guyana, the event will see the participation of both local and international companies, as well as Government officials and State agencies.
This will allow companies to meet with Guyanese Government officials to discuss the latest project developments and investment opportunities available in Guyana, and forge business relationships.

With full support from Dr. Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana, and the Government, key speakers at the event will include Mr. Vickram Bharrat, Minister of Natural Resources, and Mr. Deodat Indar, Minister within the Ministry of Public Works.

Tiago Marques, the Vice-President (Production) of CWC/ GFEn, during a press conference on Wednesday, November 11, explained that the objective of the summit is to bring together Government officials, experts, the private sector, and local businesses to discuss opportunities as well as best practices in the oil-and-gas sector.
“We’re going to look into different key areas throughout the programme that will cover the whole oil-and-gas value chain and other aggregated industries and sectors. We’re going to look into diversifying the economy, new areas of business, local content, HSE, best practices in oil-and-gas exploration, technology transfer, and also the future energy transition,” Marques stated.

Along with the discussion sessions, he noted that the summit will also feature practical breakout rooms, where participants will be able to speak with various experts, and engage in networking opportunities. The first 100 Guyanese that register for the summit will be able to participate for free.

“We’re also going to have a strong, strong focus over the three days in different areas, such as local content. So we’re going to have not only international businesses, which is usual, but also we’re going to have a lot of local businesses,” the Vice-President shared.

It was also disclosed that in keeping with their aim to foster education in the sector, universities will be invited to have their students participate in the event.
Marques added: “We’re looking at a key component, which is increasing women’s participation in the oil-and-gas sector. This is a generic topic, very important. The oil and gas sector, in general, is more male- dominated, but has strong women in strong positions in Guyana. The oil and gas industry wants to celebrate that, and also to make sure that their participation is increased.”

Meanwhile, President of the GCCI, Nicholas Deygoo-Boyer said that as one of the oldest and largest business-lobbying bodies in Guyana, the Chamber is delighted to be a part of the event.
“…One of the things we are tasked to do is to be on the forefront of these sorts of conversations, which allows us to reflect as well as to plan how we want to improve our growing oil-and-gas industry. And as such, we are very happy to be part of this; to work with CWC, and Tiago and team to put together this conference that really pushes the boundary of thought around the industry,” Boyer stated.

The physical summit is expected to take place here in Georgetown on June 9 – 10, 2021.