7 November 2014 – ISTANBUL – The CWC Group’s inaugural Basra Oil, Gas & Infrastructure
Conference took place on 27-28 October at the InterContinental Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey.
Marking the first ever strategic forum on Basra’s oil and gas potential, the conference was a
tremendous success and highlighted Basra as the gateway to Iraq; the province provides half
of the nation’s GDP and houses nearly half of its oil reserves.
The conference saw the presentation of the first Basra Oil, Gas & Infrastructure Award to
the Governorate of Basra, whose delegation was headed by HE Dr Dhurgham Arif Al
Ajwadi, for the successful launch of the forum, which will gather companies every year to
address opportunities in the most productive province in Iraq. The award was presented by
Ms Nawar Abdulhadi, VP, CWC Group.
The conference agenda covered a wide range of sessions, considering Basra’s next steps in
becoming a global energy player, discussing the bottlenecks and requirements of its oil
infrastructure and examining the region’s biggest ever infrastructure contracts.
Representatives from the Basra Council, Mr Walid Ghithan, Mr Ali Al Fares and Mr Juma Al
Zaini, highlighted the role of the Council as the legislative body and discussed the necessary
requirements for developing the region’s infrastructure.
The Governorate of Basra, represented by Mr Kassim Mohammed Ali, Director of
Government Contracts and Tenders, also identified tenders on the following issues: water;
power generation; transmission; telecoms; civil infrastructure; downstream and industrial
projects; transportation projects; education; health and environment.
The event was spearheaded by a wealth of industry leaders and movers. Key insights
included:
•
An opening keynote speech on Iraq’s vision for Basra by HE Dr Dhurgham Arif Al
Ajwadi, Deputy Governor of Basra;
1 © 2014 CWC Group Ltd. For further Information, please contact:
Nawar Abdulhadi -Nabdulhadi@thecwcgroup.com
•
The international vision for the development of Basra by Frank Baker OBE, British
Ambassador to Iraq, and Edward Gonzalez, Mayor Pro-Tem, City of Houston, Texas;
•
An examination of the huge potential of Basra’s oil fields by a large delegation of the
Ministry of Oil’s South Oil Company, headed by Senior Chief Engineer Abdulkareem
Qasim Lazem Al-Sreah.
Upon its conclusion, Ms Nawar Abdulhadi commented that the conference “succeeded in
showcasing the huge potential of Basra, which is crucial to Iraq’s economic development
and stability.” Addressing the room, she stated that “We are fully aware that Iraq as a
country is facing a great challenge. Our colleagues who joined us from Iraq and the experts
throughout the past 2 days realise the importance of economic growth, and realise that
building the sector is for the benefit of Iraq.” She invited delegates to understand more
about developing the Iraqi Oil & Gas Industry and Basra’s infrastructure join the Iraq
Petroleum 2015 Conference, which is taking place in London between 8-9 of June 2015.
2 © 2014 CWC Group Ltd. For further Information, please contact:
Nawar Abdulhadi -Nabdulhadi@thecwcgroup.com