Equatorial Guinea’s Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons, Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima, addressed growing climate change concerns and his role in African energy diplomacy at the Invest in African Energy reception in London on 26 January, organised by the African Energy Chamber 

MSGBC countries (Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Guinea-Conakry) are revamping their respective policy frameworks, forging partnerships with global energy companies, investors and service providers, and maximising infrastructure rollout across the entire oil and gas value chain 

Held under the patronage of HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the second edition of the GDA International Downstream Conference & Exhibition, the leading Middle East strategic forum for downstream professionals, will take place from 13-15 February 2023, Exhibition World Bahrain

Over three days, 5,000 industry leaders, operators, and service providers will be among many to discuss the latest innovation and technologies, the future of the downstream sector, sustainable solutions, optimisation, margin improvement, and capital efficiency. The conference will also address global business challenges, sharing best practices to unlock potential opportunities through partnerships.

From networking to knowledge exchange, the GDA Conference and Exhibition will spotlight market trends, lessons learned, and best practices to foster excellence and drive advancement through industry collaborations.

Being an internationally recognised association, the Gulf Downstream Association (GDA) serves as a catalyst for the strong and sustainable growth of the downstream industry. In just over five years, GDA has established many structured platforms for collaboration among downstream players - including more than 65 operators, technology & service providers, consultants, professional entities, governmental organisations, and academic institutions.

Expert Technical Programme

GDA’s curated programme includes expert workshops, panel discussions, strategic sessions, and technical sessions over six main topics, namely:

• Resilience

• Future Growth

• Decarbonisation and Sustainability

• Disruptors

• Human Capital and Talent Management, and 

• Digitalisation in Downstream Sector

Also taking place as a side event is the Youth Programme YouChemE which will provide the youth with a unique opportunity to network with leading downstream professionals to prepare them for the workplace. 

The programme will also include resumé checking, a professional photo shoot station, ‘FUEL’ a future leaders’ programme, panel discussions, competitions, and mentoring sessions. 

Confirmed Industry Speakers include:

• Yasser Mufti, Senior Vice President - Fuels, Saudi Aramco

• Abdulla Naji Ateya Al Messabi, CEO, ADNOC Refining

• Anthony Wood, Vice President, Consulting, Advisory Services, S&P Global

• Abdul Rahman Yahyaei, CEO, Opal

• Leon De Bruyn, Managing Director Executive, Chevron Lummus Global (CLG)

• Afaf Zainalabedien, Acting Deputy Chief Executive - Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer, BAPCO

• Fahad Alajlan, CEO, King Abdullah Petroleum Studies & Research Center (KAPSARC)

• Ahmad Al-Abdrabbuh, Senior Executive Vice President & Board Director, Yokogawa MEA

• Nabil A. Al Nuaim, Head of Digital Transformation, Saudi Aramco

• Norm Gilsdorf, Senior Consultant, Honeywell

With the conference less than a month away, some of our key sponsors and exhibitors include Saudi Aramco, KPI, BAPCO, KNPC, ADNOC, OQ, Arabian Fal, CLG & ART, Saudi Aramco Base Oil Company (LUBEREF), Petro Rabigh, S-Oil, Saudi Aramco Jubail Refinery Company (SASREF), Al Yamama, ABIS, Honeywell UOP, Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company Ltd. (SAMREF), Shell Catalysts & Technologies, Topsoe, Yokogawa Middle East & Africa, Axens, Nalco Water An Ecolab Co., W.R. Grace & Co, and Zhejiang SUPCON Technology Co., Ltd among others.

Free to attend exhibition

GDAs exhibiting companies will showcase technological innovations and solutions for the downstream industry across the industry’s full value chain. 

Trade visitors will have three days of complimentary access to visit and network with exhibitors. 

Do not miss this opportunity to connect with global experts in the downstream industry. Register now:  www.gdaconference.org/register-now

Mamadou Fall Kane, Deputy Permanent Secretary of COS Petrogaz, at the upcoming Invest in African Energy New Year Reception organised by the African Energy Chamber (AEC) at the Waldorf Hilton in London on 26 January, set to kick-off a new era of energy investment in 2023 and beyond