The Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Methanex Egypt, and the Engineering and Science Services (ESS) of the American University in Cairo (AUC) launched the initial round of Egypt’s first Process Safety Management (PSM) Professional Diploma.

The first cohort includes 32 professionals from various oil, gas, and petrochemical companies across the sector. Over four months, participants will take part in the program through in-person and online sessions covering key areas. These include the fundamentals of process safety, hazard identification and risk assessment, process safety leadership, safety in design and engineering, emergency response and incident investigation, as well as regulatory compliance and auditing.

The curriculum was developed by the Ministry of Petroleum, Methanex Egypt, and the AUC building on the 24 PSM standards and guidelines previously developed by the Ministry and Methanex and issued by the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) in 2022. Awarded by AUC’s ESS, the diploma is supported by Methanex Egypt’s sponsorship of 150 Ministry candidates over three years.

“Launching the first round of Egypt’s PSM Diploma is a major step forward in our vision to institutionalize process safety and enhance operational excellence across the sector,” said Yassin Mohamed, the Ministry’s First Undersecretary and Supervisor.

For his part, Mohamed Shindy, Methanex Egypt Managing Director, said, “This milestone reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to equipping professionals with the knowledge they need to sustain safe operations.”

Lotfi Gaafar, Dean of AUC’s School of Science and Engineering said that the partnership underscores the shared commitment to advancing Egypt’s oil and gas sector through cutting-edge training.

The diploma is the result of years of collaboration between the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and Methanex Egypt to embed PSM into the country’s oil, gas, and petrochemical sector, progressing from raising awareness, to establishing national PSM standards, and now to building professional capability for a safer future.

Since 2018, the partnership has delivered tangible milestones, including developing 24 national PSM standards and guidelines, launching Egypt’s first official PSM website (www.psmegypt.com), the publication of the “Towards Safer Processes in the Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Industries” book, and the organization of multiple sector-wide PSM conference and knowledge sharing sessions. These initiatives have laid the groundwork for stronger safety culture and practices.

Methanex Egypt S.A.E. is a joint venture of Methanex Corporation and Egyptian government partners. It is the world’s largest methanol supplier to international markets.