Haitham Al Ghais of Kuwait on Monday assumed office as the new secretary-general of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Al Ghais, a former oil official from Kuwait, was appointed by acclamation for a three-year term at the special meeting of the OPEC Conference held on January 3.
He succeeds Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo who died in July during the National oil conference in Nigeria, a few weeks to the end of his tenure.
While disclosing this in a statement, OPEC described Al Ghais as a widely respected oil technocrat and OPEC figure with 30 years of experience in the oil sector.
“He advised six Kuwaiti oil ministers on market developments and has served as Kuwait’s governor for OPEC, chairman of the Declaration of Cooperation’s (DoC) Joint Technical Committee (JTC) and Kosovo Prosecutorial Council (KPC) deputy managing director for international marketing,” the Organisation stated.
Read also: Sahara Group tasks stakeholders on Africa’s energy transition
“He was a leading member of Kuwait’s delegation to the meetings of OPEC and the DoC between OPEC member countries and non-OPEC oil-producing countries,” the statement added.
According to the statement, Al Ghais served as Kuwait’s governor for OPEC from 2017 to 2021. He was also a member of the Organisation’s Internal Audit Committee, which he later skilfully chaired.
He was the first chairman of the DoC’s Joint Technical Committee (JTC) following the inception of the historic framework in December 2016. He led the committee with great distinction in its first year and subsequently served as a Member of the JTC until June 2021.
“The Secretary-general also played a key role in drafting and developing the landmark Charter of Cooperation (CoC). The CoC was endorsed by OPEC Member Countries and several non-OPEC producing countries in July 2019 at the Sixth OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting,” the statement added.
Commenting on his new appointment, Al Ghais said, “It is a great honour for me to be at the helm of an Organization that has been instrumental in supporting a stable and sustainable supply of oil to the world for more than 61 years.”
“Throughout its history, OPEC has been at the forefront of promoting dialogue, cooperation and partnerships to achieve its mission. Today, I look forward to working with all our Member Countries and our many partners around the world to ensure a sustainable and inclusive energy future which leaves no one behind,” he said.
