(MENAFN Press) In an industry that produces the world's most vital commodity, talented workers are fast becoming its most prized resource.
Around the world, the petroleum industry is facing a significant talent gap, with a large part of its workforce set to retire over the next decade and younger workers being drawn to other sectors.
While this issue presents oil companies with significant challenges over the coming years, it also provides government-owned national oil companies (NOCs) in the region with valuable opportunities to unleash innovation, provide new jobs and boost local economies.
To explore these opportunities, key decision makers from the oil and gas industry, along with many high-profile government officials and regulators from around the world, will gather in Dubai for The CWC Group's NOCs & Governments Summit, being held at The Address Hotel in Dubai Marina from September 17-19.
The Summit is held under the Patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum.
"Right now, several key factors are coming together to create an unprecedented opportunity in the region," said Hannah Lawrence, NOCs & Governments Summit Director of The CWC Group.
"While vast oil resources have provided the region with financial resources and rapid development, the industry is now becoming increasingly focused on maximising yields from areas that traditionally have been harder to access.
To accomplish this goal, new technologies and innovative strategies are needed. This challenge, paired with the region's fast-growing youth population who are in need of new job opportunities, provides regional governments with a powerful opportunity to create the next stage of economic development."
H. Frederic Ponton, CWC Group's Director of Government Relations “ Middle East said, "The NOCs & Governments Summit is billed as 'The meeting place for NOCs, Governments & Industry,' and will explore strategies for stimulating long-term, sustainable economic growth in oil-producing countries.
The summit will feature a slate of seminars on improving job creation in the industry while boosting investments in research and development. The summit will close with a panel discussion on oil wealth sharing and maximizing the benefits of oil production for local economies."
The sessions will feature case studies from key countries such as Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Ghana, Iraq, Libya, Oman and the United Kingdom.
"By 2020, the region's economies will need to create 51 million jobs to meet the demand of growing populations," added Lawrence.
"With the global petroleum industry facing a talent shortfall, and in desperate need of young minds and new ideas, regional governments are poised to set new global standards for innovation and best practices.
The NOCs & Governments Summit is a powerful platform to explore strategies for investing in talent and technology over the coming years, while unleashing the industry's potential and boosting economies around the region."
Key speakers at the NOCs & Governments Summit include: Dr Othman Salman Gihlan, Director General Legal Department, Iraq's Council of Ministers; Dr Ali Salhi, Chairman for Oil and Economic Development, Governorate of Kirkuk; Sami Al-Rushaid, Chairman & Managing Director, Kuwait Oil Company; Hashim Al-Rifaai, Chairman, Kuwait Gulf Oil Company; Aldo Flores-Quiroga, Secretary General, International Energy Forum; Manuel Ferreira De Oliveira, President, Galp Energia; Hon Emmanuel A Kofi Buah, Deputy Minister of Energy, Ministry of Energy, Ghana; Eng Ernest Nwapa, Executive Secretary & CEO, Nigerian Content Development & Monitoring Board; Mark Carne, Executive Vice President MENA, Shell Upstream International; Frank Kemnetz, VP and GM, ExxonMobil Upstream Ventures (Middle East); Jean Luc Guiziou, President, TOTAL UAE.
