President Ali’s local content advisory group is sound

Sep 01, 2020 Letters

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Dear Editor,

I write in response to Mr. Nigel Philadelphia’s critique (KN Aug 29) of the composition of the advisory group on local content appointed by President Irfaan Ali last week. The country needs local content skills training to replace a foreign staff and that would provide jobs for the tens of thousands who lost their employment under the preceding regime that mishandled negotiations with Exxon on royalty, revenue sharing, and local content. The regime did not seek the advice of specialists before signing a lopsided contract that did not adequately protect the patrimony of the nation. We were taken for a ride to enrich Exxon leaving fine change for Guyana that now President Ali is called upon to fix. The President has had a good start with the Payara Review (that I addressed earlier) and with local content appointments.
While all of President Ali’s appointees may not have specialization in local content, they are good people, professionals in their field of endeavour. We must not pre-judge them. I am familiar with some of them and respect their professionalism. Some are skilled in oil and gas and in the environment and will make an important contribution to local content policy of the budding oil industry.
Guyanese must be given first preference to benefit from oil and gas. But there are few local Guyanese and or companies that are qualified to provide technical expertise to oil and gas. Qualified Guyanese are overseas based and few have indicated an interest to return home to serve their former homeland. Those interested should be approached.
Dr. Anthony Paul conducted a one-week (about five or six hours daily) oil and gas seminar early in the year courtesy of Glen Lall and KN. I was invited and participated in some sessions and asked pertinent questions. It was very educational and informative seminar and training sessions in oil and gas. Dr. Paul appeared very learned in his field with his references to science concepts that I learned in chemistry and physics when I did my degree in Biochemistry. Petroleum engineering borrows heavily from Chemistry and Physics and of course Maths especially in drilling and oil refineries.
I have known former Minister Kevin Ramnarine for some thirty years, from when I used to visit Trinidad during the struggle for the restoration of free and fair elections in Guyana. I interviewed him several times and interacted with him at his Ministry in Trinidad and elsewhere for my writings and on TT political issues. He was highly acclaimed for his performance as Minister of Energy. Like me, his undergraduate degree was Chemistry. We talked a lot about oil and gas and about local content; he is very knowledgeable on energy issues, perhaps the most qualified in petroleum engineering among all the appointees.
I met Shyam Nokta a few times over the last decade and was impressed with his leadership of GMSA and his knowledge of environmental matters. Like me, he studied the sciences (he environment and me in Chemistry) and would have a strong background in environment especially on the Low Carbon Development Strategy that was developed during the Jagdeo administration. I wrote a lot on LCDS and his agency’s writings were good. The fact that he studied at Oxford-Brookes University (that I never visited) as opposed to the more prestigious Oxford University (that I visited a few times in trips to England) does not mean he is any less qualified for the appointment than graduates from the latter or highly rated universities. Shyam is reserved but is success driven.
I met Carvil Duncan several times at various labour events. There is no harm done in having a trade unionist to champion small businesses getting a fair share of contracts in the oil sector. I had limited interaction with Carl Greenidge and only know him of being an economist during the period when the country slumped towards starvation under his watch. His role in foreign policy was not stellar though he is familiar with the Venezuela border controversy. I do not know the other appointee. There are others I know who are far more knowledgeable on local content policy and their advice should not be ignored.
We are not really skilled or prepared to provide meaningful, local content in oil. Providing bhajji or vegetables and fruits is not local content; every business has to buy food. Local content should be skilled and management related. We have to think strategically for the future by training people for oil, not to supply pumpkin and papaya alone. The country must look ahead with a development plan. We need a survey on our varied businesses to get a sense of what expertise is available locally and push for their employment. A survey is also needed on skills needed in the oil and gas industry, how many personnel are needed, and what training would be provided to them. After training, jobs can be obtained from the oil sector. The foreign staff would have to be replaced by local staff in years to come. Therefore, we need to prepare for a transition. Guyana must move towards a skilled mindset. We must start training of personnel people now.
I think we should give consideration to transforming the Port Mourant Training Centre (PMTC) into a partial oil and gas institute to train skilled worker for the oil industry. We can twin it for oil and gas for the sugar factories. Such an institute should be a premier oil and gas institute in the region. I have some ideas and suggestions in this endeavour having engaged oil and gas experts while I spent time in India engaging in management at tertiary institutes. That PMTC provided skills to so many who went on to become first rate engineers in the UK, Canada, USA, and Trinidad and elsewhere earning triple digits US dollars salary. It can do same for oil and gas. I am from Port Mourant and am familiar with the discipline and skills ingrained in those who were trained in the technical aspects of GuySuCo factories. It would do same for our O&G. The institute can train people for local content participation – on land logistical management, EPA, health and safety, how to clean up oil spills, handle emergency, transportation logistics, food chain supply, and the technical aspects of drilling, piping, supplies, etc. There must also be training for locals in overall administrative aspects of O&G and on the wider scope of the industry.

Yours truly
Dr. Vishnu Bisram

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