World Petroleum Congress in Doha: A Birds Eye View

By Salisu R. Isihak

Energy professional and CEPMLP alumnus Salisu Isihak, M.Sc Energy Economics (Distinction)- with a B.Sc Economics (First Class Honours) was recently nominated by Energy Institute (EI) and jointly sponsored by World Petroleum Council to attend the World Petroleum Congress (WPC) in Doha, Qatar, from 4-8 December 2011 under the United Kingdom WPC-Student Grant. Held every three years, the WPC is the largest and most reputable oil and gas industry gathering in the world. The WPC-Student grant programme was set up in response to the “serious shortage of young talented employees to replace the ranks of experienced professionals about to leave the industry”, as commented by Dr. Randall Gossen, President of the World Petroleum Council.

In Salisu’s words, “World Petroleum Congress has engaged me in designing a sustainable future of oil and gas industry and allowed me to collaborate with global forum of young people in a bit to champion new ideas within the industry. It has further broadened my view on several energy issues and the challenges ahead our generation of petroleum industry professionals to meet the growing demands for cleaner but more affordable energy amidst climate change issue”. 

He further says that “It was nice to exchange our ideas and opinions regarding possible future technology for energy supply, as well as economic and financial future with people from over 62 different countries. I greatly enjoyed the energetic, international and multidisciplinary atmosphere of the congress. Also interesting for me was to learn from these people more about their countries, culture and history. The congress gave me a better understanding of the oil and gas industry and the inherent opportunities for my career development. It has also assisted me in bridging my industry knowledge gap through mentorship and presented to me, an opportunity to network with industry experts. I had opportunity to attend lectures and be able to network with over 300 CEOs, Chairmen, Presidents and Senior Executives of the major oil and gas industries in the world such as Shell, BP, ExxonMobil, Sasol, Total, Nexem, etc” 

Salisu has said it all; the World Petroleum Congress was established in 1993 and was hosted for the first time in the Middle East this past December. The Congress features more than 4,000 delegates, 500 presenters and panellists and over 600 media representatives. It is a triennial event and is the largest gathering of Oil & Gas professionals in the world. 

Salisu is an Energy Economist and Senior Analyst at a Consulting firm.