This was Mr Nore’s second visit to Houston in his capacity as OfD-director. “I am pleased to be back in Houston, known as the energy capital of the world, and speak to students studying international efforts to improve governance and the environment in managing energy resources. As a country blessed with petroleum resources, Norway’s government is committed to helping developing countries manage their natural resources in ways that will lift their people out of poverty and contribute to their development.”
The Oil for Development (OfD) initiative aims at assisting developing countries with petroleum resources in their efforts to manage these resources in a way that generates economic growth, promotes the welfare of the population as a whole, and is environmentally sustainable. OfD cuts across and involves the relevant Norwegian governmental agencies in addition to organizations and consultancies. A secretariat located in the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, is responsible for coordination and implementation.
OfD cooperates with 25 countries, covering areas such as legal frameworks, administration and supervision mechanisms, licensing and tendering processes, organization of public/private interfaces of petroleum governance, local content and industrial development, environmental challenges and revenue management issues, including taxation and petroleum funds. Some countries are considered to be core cooperation countries whereas others are countries with more limited cooperation. Core cooperation countries include Bolivia, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Angola, Mozambique, Sudan, Madagascar, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste. OfD also assisted Afghanistan with its petroluem legislation and preparation for its first licensing round earlier this year.
For more information about OfD: http://www.norad.no/en/Thematic+areas/Energy/Oil+for+Development