TO strengthen its oversight of the oil and gas industry, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has launched a series of training sessions, all of which were chronicled by Auditor General Deodat Sharma in his 2023 report.
The official recalled that it was in July 2020 that the authority approved the creation of its Petroleum Revenue Department (PRD).

Sharma noted that the department’s mandate includes oil tax audits, verification of VAT refunds, objections and appeals, account management and debt management.

It was further noted that the strategy used to effectively recruit and staff the PRD involved the training of officers from the various audit functions within the authority to create a benchmark of necessary skills.
Furthermore, Sharma noted that 2023 saw several training sessions to strengthen their capabilities. The official said these included Basic Tropical Sea Survival and Emergency Induction Training (T-BOSIET) and Emergency Breathing System training at compressed air (CAEBS), both essential for personnel working at sea.

T-BOSIET is an industry standard course designed to teach emergency response skills, including water survival, firefighting and first aid, adapted to offshore conditions. As for CAEBS training, it focuses on the use of emergency breathing systems, essential in situations where rapid evacuation is necessary, such as in the case of a helicopter landing over water.

The training also included sessions with ODITC Incorporated, an organization that provides specialized training for oil and gas professionals in areas such as safety, emergency response and technical skills required for offshore work. Additionally, GRA has collaborated with Bayphase and S&P Global for sector-specific training.

Bayphase is notably a consulting company specializing in the development of oil and gas fields and in cost analysis. They help governments and businesses understand project economics, cost recovery and field operations, essential elements that support revenue and tax management oversight.

S&P Global, on the other hand, is a leading provider of financial information and analysis. They offer information on commodity prices, industry benchmarking and economic analysis, which are essential for GRA staff to evaluate oil prices, market trends and compare operating costs.

Their training included the principles of cost recovery (ensuring that companies recover legitimate costs), benchmarking (comparing costs and performance measures to industry standards), and offshore operations (supervising drilling, production and logistics on offshore platforms).

Sharma was also keen to highlight the establishment of the Customs and Trade Administration of the Petroleum Customs Unit (CPU), which is responsible for monitoring and auditing customs procedures relating to the oil and gas sector. It covers entry processing, clearance of goods, quality assurance, observation of the valuation process of exported oil and valuation of imported goods by oil companies, contractors and subcontractors. It also manages exemptions, tariff classification, data analysis, research, inventory tracking, and reporting and trade facilitation.

In 2023, Sharma said CPU staff participated in crude marketing and trading program, validation and capacity building.

Additionally, 17 personnel completed the Tropical Basic Marine Survival and Emergency Training (T-BOSIET) at the 3tEnermech Training School located in Lusignan, East Coast Demerara.
Overall, these efforts underscore GRA’s commitment to ensuring transparency, accuracy and efficiency in the management of Guyana’s resources.