Ghana and Guyana have held bilateral discussions on the sharing of knowledge and experiences in the oil and gas industry to reap maximum benefits.
The two countries are expected to coordinate their positions on the international arena regarding fossil fuel exploration and exploitation, as the International Energy Agency has issued a directive for nations to minimise emissions from hydrocarbon operations to combat global warming.
They are also to deepen their economic cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, agriculture, industrialisation, real estate development and digitisation.
A high-powered delegation, led by Vice-President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, Mr Bharrat Jagdeo, held the bilateral meeting with his Ghanaian counterpart, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia at the Jubilee House on Friday to strengthen economic and political co-operation for their mutual benefits.
The delegation was on a three-day working visit to Ghana, to learn and have deeper understanding of Ghana’s oil and gas industry as the South American nation is preparing to exploit its large oil and gas deposits.
According to Vice President Jagdeo, the Guyanese delegation was in the country to learn about the Ghana’s experiences in the oil and gas sector, with particular reference to local content and participation, the legal framework, and general best practices in exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbon finds as Guyana discovered hydrocarbons on a large scale in 2015.
During the visit, technical teams from Ghana’s Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Petroleum Commission (PC), Ghana Gas, Energy Commission and other stakeholders in the energy sector engaged their counterparts from Guyana to share ideas and exchange learnings.
Vice President Bawumia recalled the historical and cultural relations between the two countries dating back to the era of slave trade and assured of Ghana’s commitment to exchanging practical development ideas with her Guyanese counterpart.
He cited the various agreements signed between the two countries including; the Mutual Visa Exemptions, Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Investment Co-operation and an Air Service Agreement.
Vice President Bawumia said the co-operation between the two countries saw President Akufo-Addo paying a state visit to Guyana in 2019 at the invitation of Guyanese President and a meeting at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September this year.
“We want to see our co-operation deepen beyond oil and gas. We want to look at sharing experiences in areas of agriculture, industrialisation, real estates and digitisation, which we’re moving forward with, and they say, data is the new oil and we’re making progress in digitising the economy.
“Economically, we have both gone through ups and downs, both of us were HIPC nations at some point before we discovered oil.
“We both have peaceful democracies and I want to commend you for the democratic progress you have made. Ghana is also seen as a bastion of democracy in Africa with peace and stability.
“Your visit here is essentially to build on the discussions that we already had, and as a catalyst to build the bond of friendship we have had over the years”, Vice President Bawumia added.
On his part, Mr Jagdeo acknowledged the immense contribution of Ghana towards her independence struggle, saying; “Ghana is a great inspiration to Guyana and we recognise the role she played in that endeavour”.
“We are here to listen and learn, and given your experiences in the oil and gas sector, I am sure we have come to the right place” Vice President Jagdeo declared.
“Our ongoing cooperation is testament to how well we can work together and learn from each other.
“We want to deepen our cooperation beyond the oil and gas sector, to trade and investment in each other’s country. We want to learn from you in the areas of agriculture, digitization, health, especially your Agenda 111, and infrastructure development”, he added.
Vice President Jagdeo underscored the need for both countries to coordinate their positions on fossil fuel exploration and exploitation at the international arena for natural resources too be utilised to transform lives.
Members of the Guyanese delegation included; Mr Floyd Naynes, Public Accounts and Financial Analyst, Mr Gopnauth Gossai, Senior Petroleum Coordinator, Dr Reyaud Rahman, Executive Liaison Officer to the President and Mr Hamley Case, a member of the Civil Society.
On Ghana side, there were officials from the Energy Commission, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation and the Ghana National Gas Company.
As part of the visit, the Guyanese delegation visited Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum to lay a wreath and plant a tree at the site, visited the offices of the Petroleum Commission at Dzorwulu, and held discussions with players in the private sector.
