Govt to make local content reports public - VP Jagdeo

Govt to make local content reports public – VP Jagdeo

Jan 04, 2021 News

Kaieteur News- Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo said that during the process of broad national consultation to be had for Guyana’s local content policy and legislation, the government is set to publish the local content reports prepared by the local content advisory panel.
He made these comments during a December edition of the Kaieteur Radio show, ‘Guyana’s Oil & You’ hosted by Senior Journalist, Kiana Wilburg.

The panel members comprise President of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) Shyam Nokta; former Foreign Minister, Carl Greenidge; Trinidadian local content expert, Anthony Paul; former Trinidad energy minister, Kevin Ramnarine; trade unionist, Carvil Duncan, and accountant, Floyd Haynes. They were expected to review all existing initiatives and policies where local content is concerned and guide the development of a new policy and legislation. They were also required to conduct consultations with key interest groups and stakeholders, including from the private sector, government and civil society. The first report was submitted late November, 2020.
Dr. Jagdeo said that government told the panel that its report was lengthy, so they were instructed to reduce it to about 30 pages. This would serve the purpose of culling duplicate recommendations made by different sectors.

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo

“…the banking sector made proposals, the manufacturing sector, agricultural, all of the sectors spoke about local content and they made presentations,” The VP said, “so we are hoping that they can amalgamate all of the common comments into one document and then use that document for broader consultation.”
He added that once the document is completed, what the government intends to do is to make a release for consultation.
“We can release both the original document plus the summarised document to the public,” he explained, “and then the President himself would have a consultation with the public.”
The public consultation would be one of the final steps on the way to the formulation of a local content policy.
Vice President Jagdeo said that the public’s views would inform the preparation of a negotiating brief to announce a policy, and to submit to lawyers to prepare legislation for tabling in the national assembly.
The local content policy currently in place was drafted under the former David Granger administration but was controversial, mainly due to the consultant hired to prepare it.
It was finalized by UK consultant, Dr. Michael Warner. He had been hired by Exxon to work on its Center for Local Business Development.
Warner is the UK consultant that APNU+AFC used to replace Trinidadian local content expert, Anthony Paul, who had worked on earlier drafts of the policy.
Paul has been retained by the Irfaan Ali administration to assist with the revision of the policy and the installation of legislation.