Bahrain to Host Gulf Downstream Association Conference

Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa the Prime Minister, the first edition of the International Gulf Downstream Association (GDA) Conference/ Exhibition will be hosted in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The conference/exhibition will take place on October 23-25 in Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre (BIECC) themed "Towards competitive refining through innovation and technology".

The event will be organized by the Gulf downstream association (GDA), in cooperation with the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA), with the support from national, regional, and international companies.

Oil Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa expressed his sincere appreciation to HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa the Prime Minister, for his total care and support to the international conferences hosted in the Kingdom of Bahrain, which confirms the ongoing support from the minister to the development process in the oil and gas sector in Bahrain.

The minister emphasized the status of the activities of the oil and gas sector and petrochemicals, in Middle East, praising the existing cooperation between the GDA and other organizations and NOGA in choosing Bahrain to hold their events.

The minister confirmed the support of the government of Bahrain in attracting and hosting specialized events, in the oil and gas sector.

Also, to provide all kinds of facilities that help the organizers in achieving what they aspire to reach and to exchange the sharing of experience between the relevant authorities.

The conference and exhibition will be a replacement for the series of petro-tech conference and exhibition, which was hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain in the past years and that it would be a strategic platform in the Middle East's leading professionals in the field of refining capacity to meet the challenges of business and the exchange of best practices and potential opportunities through cooperation and strategic partnerships.

The minister said that this conference and its exhibition aims to involve regional stakeholders and international partners in all parts of the business community, academia and technological services providers to take advantage of the opportunities for investment, innovation and growth. He praised the efforts of Chairman of the GDA Board and many others in establishing this global conference in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The minister has confirmed the keenness of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the success of the oil and gas specialized entities and in achieving their objectives.

As well as the exchange of views on the status of the oil and gas market and insure the opportunities of knowledge share and best practice.

Board Chairman of the GDA, Mohammad Ghazi Al-Mutairi, expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to the minister, as well as for supporting and encouraging the GDA, and the support from NOGA, which strengthens the relationship of the oil companies.

Explaining that the vision of Gulf oil refining is expanding this global event in order to include all of the players of Downstream Industry in the final stages of addressing the strategic opportunities faced by the Middle East, particularly the Gulf; confirming that the conference will focus on how much engineering is "smart".

The substantive programme of the conference will cover a wide range of topics, including the issues of regional integration and cooperation and attracting investment and qualified labor force for the future, and investment opportunities in the region.

Suleiman Al Burqan, Executive Director of the Domestic Refineries and NGL- NC Fractionation in Saudi Aramco company said that the activities of the exhibition accompanying the conference will witness major meetings, round table discussions, and workshops, which will be offered by more than 220 experts in the field of Downstream industry.

Noting that the conference provides a great opportunity for the participants and visitors to exchange innovative ideas and feasible solutions to the challenges faced by the Downstream sector and industries.

The GDA conference has been established after its approval by the Cabinet in its meeting on 11 July 2016.