Organisers of the Ghana Oil and Gas Awards have appointed international auditing firm, Ernst and Young to collate and validate results for the awards.

The move, according to the organisers, is to ensure transparency and also allay the fears of alleged underhand dealings in awards processes.

The awards, slated for December 19 this year, is to recognise achievements of local and international companies involved in the country’s oil and gas sector, and also reward those that have played a defining role in moving the industry forward.

The ceremony will acknowledge the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Year in Upstream and Downstream, Lifetime Achievement, Exploration (Drilling and Well Completion Excellence), Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility, Excellence in Health, Safety, Environment, and Quality, Engineering and Construction Company of the Year, Logistics Company of the Year and Haulage Company of the Year.

A statement issued in Accra by the Events Director, Mr Richard Abbey Jnr, said operators in the oil and gas fields that had excelled in the sector in spite of difficulties would be rewarded.

“We want to find out who those performers are in the Ghana Oil and Gas Awards (GOGA 2014),” the statement said.

“In times like this, when the oil and gas sector is faced with consistent challenges, the ability of organisations, as well as the people involved in the industry to deliver the technologies, financial packages, insurance products, best practices, and initiatives to succeed, is crucial,” the statement added.

The chairperson of the awards, Ms Joyce Rosalind Aryee, stressed that local content initiative, upstream and innovative products among other categories would also be rewarded.

Other areas such as downstream, Brand of the Year, Marketing Campaign of the Year, Oil and Gas Financial Services Provider of the Year, Oil and Gas Insurer of the Year, Lubricant Product of the Year, Bulk Distributor of the Year, Promising Oil Company of the Year, Depot of the Year, Consulting and Recruitment Company of the Year, Policy Activist of the Year  will be recognised.