The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), an annual tradeshow held in the United States will host this year’s conference featuring a new program called “Around the world series” from May 6 to May 9,2019.
Global industry leaders representing Australia, Norway, Mexico, France, United Kingdom, Israel, Canada, Ghana, and Guyana will be featured as they discuss new licensing and business opportunities, as well as recently introduced technologies.
More than 60,000 participants are expected to attend the biggest oil and gas event which has been acclaimed universally as the most appropriate place to meet the movers and shakers in the multibillion-dollar industry.
The OTC is one of the largest tradeshows where energy professionals meet to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters. It holds a myriad of opportunities for people in the oil and gas sector with its access to valuable professional networking opportunities. This allows countries to connect and meet with international buyers.
Ghana has been a participant in OTC conferences since the commercial discovery of oil for the past 11 years. For many years now the Ghanaian government has used this platform to bring in experienced oil companies to explore and exploit the petroleum resources, and trade in petroleum products in the country. Government now seeks to use the partnership with these companies to develop local capacity for both the upstream and downstream industries.
This year will see Honourable John Peter Amewu, Minister of Energy leading the Ghana delegation to the OTC. The other attendees include Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, Deputy Energy Minister, Ghana, Mr. Egbert Faibille Jnr, CEO Petroleum Commission, Ghana, Mr. Joe Mensah, Country Manager, Kosmos Energy Ghana, HCMr. Kweku Awotwi, Executive Vice President, Tullow Oil PLC, Ms. Randi Cruz, Country Manager, Exxonmobil E&P Ghana, Dr. K.K Sarpong, CEO, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Mr. Jan Helge Skogen, General Manager in Ghana, Aker Energy, Hon. Vicky Bright, AddisonBrightSloane Law Firm, Mr. Hassan Tampuli, CEO, National Petroleum Authority, Dr. Ben Asante, CEO, Ghana Gas Company Limited, Mr. Patrick A.K Akorli, Group CEO & Managing Director, GOIL, Mr. Isaac Osei, Managing Director, TOR and Mr. Senyo Hosi, CEO, CBOD Honourable John Peter Amewu, Minister of Energy, Kimathi Kuenyehia, Kimathi & Partners, Patricia Asaam, Ministry of Energy.
The Chairman of the Planning Committee of the Ghana Delegation to the conference, Madam Patricia Assam, spoke to the delegates at a pre-departure meeting in Accra, reminding them about the importance of the event and asked them to position themselves in readiness for joint ventures. “Last year was good and this year is even going to be better. All you have to do is to position yourselves in a positive way to attract some of the big players to partner you in your business in Ghana,” she said.
Like last year, Ghanaian companies in the oil & gas and allied industries will attend as exhibitors and have been assigned a pavilion. With last year’s event receiving positive feedbacks, Conship, the Ghanaian shipping company that promoted the Ghana Pavilion at OTC last year will be responsible for the promotion this year as well.
The Chief Executive Officer of Consolidated Shipping (Conship), Dr M.C. Vasnani said one unique feature of this year’s OTC would be a special three-hour session at the event focused on Ghana. Focusing on the theme: “Building local capability in Ghana’s oil and gas sector”, he said that the Minister of Energy and several other dignitaries would make presentations on opportunities and partnerships in the country’s petroleum sector.
He also announced that another special feature with this year’s participation was the push to educate the Ghanaian Diaspora about opportunities in the petroleum sector with business-2-business meetings with established Ghanaian SMEs in the sector. This is being organised by the Ghana-Houston Chamber of Commerce.
“The position of the Ghana pavilion this year will be in the centre of the exhibition hall and that will make the exhibitors more visible to the patrons,” he said, adding that: “The Minister of Energy will perform the official ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the pavilion.”
Everything is set for the Ghanaian delegates to attend this year’s OTC, with expectations of forming partnerships with experienced companies to develop local capacity for both the upstream and downstream industries.
