• Western Cape Potential
• History
• Formalisation
• Ownership And Board Structure
• Programs and Benefits
• Successes
• Government Funding

The Western Cape is well positioned to:

• Service and refurbish oilfield vessels.
• Construct platforms and modules.
• Supply equipment.
• Provide training and personnel services.
• Supply consumable products.

The Initiative was born when the Cape Regional Chamber co-ordinated a meeting with the provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the City of Cape Town and Wesgro.

About 20 months of industry interaction constituted the inclusion of partners like the National Ports Authority (NPA), the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti), Eskom etc. as well as private companies providing expertise during this period on teams like the Marketing Strategy Group, the Port Steering Committee and others.

We are pleased to announce that this initiative has now been formalised into an industry initiative (Section 21 Company) that will be run in partnership between the public and private sector. This Company is called the Cape Oil and Gas Supply Initiative (COGSI) and will seek to develop and position the Western Cape as the oil and gas service and supply hub for Africa.

After a public process of nominations and voting by industry, eight Board portfolios were filled. Four more portfolios are ex-officio directors who were nominated by the various Public Sector stakeholders. An Executive Director and PA have also been appointed as full time employees of the company in order to manage the implementation of projects and programmes.

Although Government will play a supporting role, industry is taking ownership of this initiative and is invited to co-determine the implementation of this exciting project.The Board of Directors is structured as follows:

Industry Portfolios
Operators and Service Companies
Logistics and Transport
Ship Repair
Engineering and Project Management
Fabrication and Construction

Institutional Portfolios
Western Cape Provincial Government
City of Cape Town
National Ports Authority
Department of Trade and Industry

Functional Portfolios
BEE and Business Development
Training and Skills Development
West Coast Business Representative

Programs for which funding has already been provided:

• Certification fund: to provide a credible database of suppliers by monitoring accreditation and certification.
• Supplier Development Programme: to subsidise efforts to attain higher certification levels.
• Platform project: a drive to attract refurbishment and construction of offshore platforms.
• Feasibility fund: seed funding for feasibility studies to improve port infrastructure (in co-operation with Eskom).

Benefits of having a formalised Initiative:

• Recognition by government for lobbying
• Funding from government and others
• Clear role and focus to develop this industry and capitalise on opportunities
• Dedicated capacity that is tailored to the needs of industry, and with the support of government
• More efficient service delivery by the public sector
• A neutral platform for industry to network and broker more efficient relationships
• Central point of reference for joint marketing - target market exposure -, investor enquiries, industry co-ordination
• Increased international business opportunities
• Increased industry competitiveness through programs as above.

Some of the early successes of the Initiative before formalisation:

• First ever Oil Africa 2004 exhibition and conference
• OTC - three consecutive successful trade mission exhibitions in 2002 and 2003 and a much bigger one coming up in 2004
• A number of successful referrals that lead to significant increase in business for local companies