Oil and Gas Association launched; promises to promote equal benefits from industry

With a view to ensuring that the benefits reaped from the developing oil and gas industry benefits all, through advocacy, education and collaboration, a group of entrepreneurs last evening launched the Guyana Oil and Gas Association (GOGA) at the Marriott Hotel.

GOGA is headed by President and Chief Executive Officer is Bobby Gossai Jr. while the Directors are Nigel Hughes, Andrew Mendes, Stuart Hughes, Suresh Beharry, Allan Fernandes, John  Chin, Phillip Fernandes and Anand Beharry.

Speaking at last night’s launching, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Association, Bobby Gossai noted that the main objective of GOGA is to promote and represent the interest of all Guyanese service providers to the industry.

“The political and socio-economic challenges of broader extractive industries (shows that) local content is crucial” to the development of the industry Gossai said. The Association aims to contribute to the policies in the industry through interaction with its members.

Hughes pointed out that the formation of GOGA dates back to long before the 2015 oil find. Noting that the excitement created from harnessing Guyana’s first oil resources can create some challenges, Hughes said the association committed to ensuring that all information relating to the exploitation of this natural resource are disclosed.

“We’re in the task of developing an energy industry so that it becomes a major driver of economic wealth while providing  a platform for the significant development of our people, our enterprises…innovation and technology. One long term national priority must be how we create an integrated energy sector that is the key guard of a sustainable local and regional industry while attaining growth and competitiveness in all sub-sectors,” he stated.

It is estimated that Guyana’s oil find values US$72 billion; this is many times the country’s GDP.

Membership of the Association will include persons (individual or companies) whose business activities are in whole or part related to supporting, promoting and/or developing the oil and gas industry as well as the broader energy industry.

Associate members will include experts, post-secondary institutions, Regional development associations, registered trade unions and industry associations or other not-for-profit organsiations.

Members will be educated on the challenges and opportunities confronting the industry while advocating the cause of the industry.

(Caption;  Head table: President of the Guyana Oil and Gas Association (GOGA), Bobby Gossai Jr; GOGA Director, Nigel Hughes; Resident Representative of the Inter-American Development Bank, Sophie Makonnen and Canada’s Ambassador to Guyana, Pierre Giroux at the launching of GOGA. Standing; Directors of the GOGA)