Local Content Panel a step in right direction – Dookhoo

…says Carl Greenidge a “great gift” to panel

The appointment by President Dr Irfaan Ali of several experts to a Local Content Panel is being hailed by a veteran Private Sector figure as a step in the right direction: towards building a framework to ensure more Guyanese are able to benefit directly from oil and gas opportunities.

In an interview with this publication, former Private Sector Commission Chairman Ramesh Dookhoo weighed in on this development. He was optimistic that the presence of such a diverse group of experts augers well for Guyana’s efforts to create a robust local content framework.
He singled out the presence of Trinidadian Local Content expert Anthony Paul on the panel. Paul has played a critical role in the formulation of local content policies in Ghana, and has been vocal about local content issues in Guyana.
Paul is the Principal Consultant, Energy and Strategy, Association of Caribbean Energy Specialist Limited. He spearheaded a Rapid Analysis of the State of Readiness of Guyana’s Hydrocarbon Regulatory Framework study facilitated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2016.
“I see that there’s a lot of intellect on the panel, there’s a good distribution of sectors. There’s a representative of labour. There’s a representative from the Private Sector; there’s expertise from Anthony Paul, whom I’ve met personally. Anthony Paul has actually written the Ghanaian legislation which has been very successful.”
“We, the Private Sector, have been complaining for a very long time about the lack of a robust local content policy under the previous Government. But here we are. We seem to have reconciled to the fact that we need legislation. And I believe we could not have selected a better panel,” Dookhoo added.
Dookhoo also lauded the inclusion of former Foreign Affairs Minister under the previous A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) government, Carl Greenidge, on the panel. Greenidge, an economist by profession, also served as Finance Minister from 1983 to 1992.
According to Dookhoo, this is a gesture of inclusion that should be sustained.
“Greenidge is a great gift to that panel, and I’m very happy to see he’s sitting on that panel willingly. And I also see it as an expression of reaching out to the Opposition and the PNC party. And I hope a lot more of that happens for issues that affect all of Guyana, and we can demonstrate we have a non-partisan attitude about issues that affect the whole country,” he said.
Apart from Paul and Greenidge, the panel also includes former Trinidad Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine. Ramnarine is no stranger to these shores, having given speeches and been vocal on energy related issues affecting Guyana.
Ramnarine served as the Minister of Energy of Trinidad and Tobago (2011 to 2015). During his tenure, he created a positive climate for investment, including the fiscal reforms, which resulted in major investments in deep-water exploration.
Prior to being appointed Energy Minister, he held positions in the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago and at British Gas, where he worked as the Lead Economist.
Ramnarine holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry; a Master’s of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering; and a Master’s Degree in Business (M.B.A.). Since leaving Ministerial office, he has worked as an energy consultant and as lecturer at the Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business.
In 2014, he was named “Energy Executive of the Year” by the Petroleum Economist magazine.
Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) head and former Presidential advisor Shyam Nokta will be the Chairman of the panel. Nokta also previously served as Head of the Office of Climate Change, where he coordinated Guyana’s response to climate change, the development and implementation of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), and REDD+ Partnership with the Kingdom of Norway.
The panel also includes Finance Professor Floyd Haynes and trade unionist Carvil Duncan. Haynes is an adjunct Professor in Finance and Accounting at the University of the District of Columbia, and he is a public lecturer in Leadership and Management.
He is also the founder and President of Haynes Incorporated, a Washington-based international accounting and management consulting firm, and he is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
Meanwhile, Duncan is former Chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC) and current President of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG). (G3)