What is SAOGA?
The South African Oil & Gas Alliance (SAOGA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the development of South African-based industry supplying products and services to the upstream oil & gas sector. The organisation operates as a partnership between the public and private sectors, receiving public funding to carry out a range of industry development activities and working to promote the interests of a membership base of about 170 private sector companies. It is overseen by an independent volunteer Board of Directors from industry and a number of other key stakeholders. Members include global oilfield service companies with bases in South Africa, marine and ship repair companies that focus on the substantial opportunity in oilfield-related ship/rig repair and maintenance, logistics companies that move people and materials from within and outside South Africa to the regional oilfields and a diversified base of engineering and service companies that supply equipment and specialized services to the industry.
History
SAOGA is an outgrowth of a provincial government sector development programme around the oil and gas industry in the Western Cape Province of South Africa (a region that includes Cape Town, Mossel Bay and Saldanha Bay). This programme was focused on a significant cluster of upstream supplier companies that developed in the province in response to upstream growth in West Africa and the the establishment of domestic production in Mossel Bay in the late 1980s. An indepedent non-profit entity known as the Cape Oil and Gas Supply Initiative (COGSI) was established in 2003 to become the main vehicle for promoting and developing the sector. The Board subsequently renamed COGSI the South African Oil and Gas Alliance to reflect the growing involvement of upstream suppliers from other regions and the fact that no other South African organisation focuses on the upstream supplier base. Today we have a national footprint and focus although the Western Cape remains the de facto centre of upstream supplier activity in South Africa.
Main Activities
SAOGA's activities focus around 4 areas:
Marketing & Business Development: SAOGA seeks to help member companies grow business by raising the global profile of the South African industry through a range of activities which currently include: presence at conferences and trade exhibitions, participation in trade missions, publication of the South African Oil & Gas Directory (www.oilandgassa.com) and gathering and disseminating market intelligence.
Creating an Attractive Business Environment: SAOGA actively works with government and parastatal entities to ensure that public policy and infrastructure supports a competitive environment for upstream suppliers. We actively sponsor initiatives to study and improve physical and regulatory infrastructure and will lobby directly on behalf of our members and their clients where necessary.
Industry Capability Development: SAOGA plays a key role in helping local companies to understand and attain the standards of performance and quality required to operate in the upstream industry; this is done through an extensive skills development programme, supplier development initiatives and networking activities to facilitate collaboration between companies.
Investment Promotion: Increasing the presence of foreign upstream companies in South Africa is a key priority for SAOGA. We are a primary point of contact for global firms considering establishing in South Africa or partnering with local firms and can provide a variety of information and introductions to prospective investors.