Preparation is key to local content development – Prof. Ivelaw Griffith
DPI, Guyana, Monday, July 23, 2018
“Preparation is essential for the development of local content in the oil and gas sector. We do not have the luxury of waiting and hoping for luck. We have got to actualize, emphasize and focus on preparation.”
This statement was delivered by Vice-Chancellor and Principal at the University of Guyana (UG), Professor Ivelaw Griffith.
The Vice-Chancellor was at the time addressing a local content forum at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) hosted by UG’s School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation (SEBI) along with its partners.
Professor Griffith said while education is vital to the growth and development of the oil industry, technical institutions are also necessary. “What is needed for the oil and gas and the allied sectors are not deliverable only in an educational context from the university, the technical institutes are critical.”
He noted the university has extended an invitation to technical institutes and TVET to establish a consortium on energy and mining.
Dean of SEBI, Professor Leyland Lucas, also stressed the importance of education in understanding local content and advice stakeholders and those of the local community to be more actively engaged in the local content conversation.
Partnering with SEBI on the local content forum is Ground Structures Engineering Consultants Incorporation. Its CEO, Charles Ceres said the development of the local content policy must not be one-sided but must cater to all Guyanese.
He said, “local content by definition must not focus on individuals and individual businesses, it must focus on the development of capabilities for the long-term development of the country.”
The two-day forum held under the theme “Local Content: A mechanism for capacity building towards enhanced national development,” will see the sharing and discussion on recent research on local policies and ways to ensure they are effective for the benefit of all Guyanese.
By: Crystal Stoll
Image: Jules Gibson