By Aamir Lashari
ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), the country’s largest state-owned oil and gas exploration firm, has reported significant gains in production and human resource development in recent months. Under the leadership of Managing Director and CEO Ahmed Hayat Lak, the company has undertaken several initiatives aimed at increasing operational efficiency, promoting gender equity, and expanding its social welfare footprint.A key achievement was the enhancement of crude oil and gas production from the Rajian-05 well in Chakwal, where the installation of an Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP) has resulted in a daily output of 3,100 barrels of oil and 1.0 million standard cubic feet of gas. The move reflects the company’s technical capacity to locally deploy advanced extraction technologies to bolster national energy supplies.In a landmark initiative promoting gender inclusivity, OGDCL inducted its first-ever all-female batch of Management Trainee Officers. The induction is part of the company’s broader diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategy aimed at empowering women in leadership and technical roles within the energy sector.The company has also strengthened its engagement with the youth by partnering with ICMA Pakistan to provide one-year practical training to aspiring finance professionals. Eleven trainees recently completed their training, while fifteen others have been inducted into the ongoing batch. Furthermore, OGDCL signed a memorandum of understanding with the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme and the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) to jointly promote technical training and employment across the country.To advance self-reliance in geophysical data processing, OGDCL launched an intensive on-the-job training programme for professionals at its Seismic Data Processing Centre (SDPC). The programme includes 30 working days dedicated to Pre-Stack Time Migration (PSTM) and 90 working days focused on Pre-Stack Depth Migration (PSDM) — reflecting the company’s ambition to adopt international best practices in-house.The company also organised a four-day training session for its drilling engineers on advanced liner hanger systems and planning software in collaboration with Weatherford. MD/CEO Ahmed Hayat Lak visited the training session, reflecting top management’s active engagement in workforce capacity building.In terms of employee welfare, the company has announced that 57 employees will be sponsored for Hajj and 12 for Umrah in 2026 through a transparent computerised balloting process. The initiative was open to staff members from OGDCL offices across the country.As part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, OGDCL, in partnership with the Society for the Protection of Rights (SPO), constructed and handed over 30 weather-resilient homes to widows from the Hindu community in Jaffarabad, Balochistan. The Saiban Project homes are equipped with solar electricity, water tanks, washrooms, drainage systems, and kitchens.While these developments signify a positive trajectory under the current leadership — particularly in production, skills development, and social impact — there is an equally pressing need for the management’s attention towards internal accountability. Ensuring transparency within the organisation and addressing concerns over favouritism or collusive practices that may compromise national interest for personal gain is critical. For OGDCL to evolve into a truly merit-based and high-performing entity, institutional mechanisms for impartial internal oversight must be enforced alongside its developmental agenda.
