Local content legislation will ensure locals get first preference for jobs in oil and gas sector
Government is committed to building the capacity of Guyanese to capitalise on job opportunities in the oil and gas sector.
This was reiterated by Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, who delivered the feature address at the Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Development Association’s Christmas Luncheon in New Amsterdam on Wednesday.
The minister delivered the address on behalf of His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali.
“It is the government’s plan for the next three years, to train about 1000 persons per annum, and these people will be trained in a facility that is accredited which is at Port Mourant.
The facility is recognised by government institutions, because they have certification and the training will be done there. So, 1000 persons per annum, the different category of persons that can work in the oil and gas sector because it is a sector that we have to serve. We have to serve the sector with the manpower that it requires. As it grows, it will draw more requirement for manpower and we have to train our people,” Minister Indar said.
He said the local content legislation which will be tabled in the National Assembly on Thursday will pave the way for Guyanese to be given first preference for jobs. He said the lack of the legislation has seen Guyanese losing out on many job opportunities.
“What it means, is that a lot of the services that are done by foreigners will be ring-fenced for local people so, locals by law have to be given the first consideration to do the service whether it is transportation, whether it is logistics, whether it is brokerage, whether it is rental facility, whether it is warehousing, conference facility. There are a number of services that are ring- fenced for locals so that means Guyanese people have a fighting chance to be part of the sector, and that is something that will make a massive difference in the local private sector,” Minister Indar explained.
The minister said government will not make the same mistake as the last administration, which had no solid plan to create the much-needed legislation.
“The local content legislation will be a big thing; it is something that has long been in the pipeline. The previous government had drafts after drafts and never put anything concrete. So, what you find is a lot of foreign companies came and they are doing services that Guyanese can do and a lot of foreign workers are here doing work that Guyanese can do. So, the legislation that we will be putting tomorrow is something that will being a lot of remedy for that,” he said.
At the first stakeholder consultation on the draft Local Content Policy, President Ali said the policy extends beyond the oil and gas industry, covering all sectors contributing to the country’s economic development.
“The Local Content Policy has to be a living policy, it has to be a policy that is flexible, a policy that is responsive, a policy that has great clarity, a policy that sets the framework through which all those who engage, not only in the oil and gas sector, but the forward and backward linkages of the oil and gas sector, all would understand fully what are their responsibilities to local content,” President Ali stated.