At the 2018 Ghana Oil and Gas Awards held on Friday, the Chief Executive Officer of XO-DUS Communications said he was proud at the impact the scheme has had on the industry.

Mr. Richard Abbey said corporate bodies and individuals in the petroleum industry for the past five years adhere to standards set for them.

Citing the actions taken by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) to buttress his point, he said players comply to standards and that the gatekeepers in the industry keep them on their toes.

“Remember we gave Mr. Tampuli a leadership award because he has been cutting down illegal entry of importation of fuel and all that and I think that others too are off-takers from BOST and TOR which means that they are contributing to the National development,” he added.

Mr. Abbey stated that the recognition had inspired many industry players to strive for excellence and ensure safety compliance at their respective working environment.

He noted that the essence for instituting the Awards was to ensure indigenous oil and gas players improve upon their safety standards and fulfil their corporate social obligations to communities within their operational areas.

“They are people who are indigenously making efforts to do this, so in recognizing these people, it has boost business,” Mr. Abbey said.

Mr George Yaw Owusu, a partner founder of EO Group specialising in oil and gas exploration and production, received an award for his outstanding contribution to oil discovery in Ghana.

Mr Owusu was instrumental in committing Kosmos Energy, a Dallas, Texas-based oil and gas firm to invest in Ghana’s offshore exploration and production, which led to commercial oil discovery in the country.

Mr. Alhassan Tampuli, Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority, received Leadership Award for his immense contribution in the petroleum sector.

Ghana Oil and Gas Awards remains the largest industry initiative dedicated to championing excellence endorsed by the Ministry of Energy in Partnership with industry stakeholders like the National Petroleum Authority and Ghana Oil and Gas Service Providers Association.

Forty-one corporate entities and individuals have been recognized for their contributions in the upstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry.

The awardees, who were rewarded with plaques, certificates and citations at the Fifth Ghana Oil and Gas Awards included chief executive officers of some oil and gas firms, entrepreneurs, representatives of civil society organisations, regulators and government agencies for the advances made in ensuring efficiency in the areas of environmental stewardship, innovation, leadership and corporate social responsibility as well as in health and safety.