3 for these young people to start and scale their businesses, focusing first on the agricultural sector. We have a vested interest in seeing Ghana succeed and so we are doing all we can to help create a healthy, diverse, and thriving economy. It’s in our company culture to take on tough challenges, so we are trying to grapple with the difficult problems facing agriculture – the country’s most important sector and largest employer. Just as we first unlocked the potential of a moribund oil and gas industry when we entered Ghana more than 10 years ago, we want to help breathe new life into Ghana’s agricultural sector. It’s our view that success in one area can contribute to success in others. In its inaugural year, the KIC mentored 44 young entrepreneurs interested in starting businesses to address under-served needs in agriculture, with two promising enterprises ultimately receiving the seed funding and technical assistance required to turn their ideas into viable businesses that can modernize the agricultural sector. In 2017, the KIC will build on its early success and expand its activities. We will put a second cohort of promising young entrepreneurs through a cycle of mentorship with the aim of investing in two additional ag-tech start-ups at the end of the process. In addition, we will provide a tailored acceleration program to help scale up existing small- to-medium sized agribusinesses that have a demonstrated proof of concept. Offered to selected companies, the program will target their key barriers to growth and help get them ready for additional investment. BUILDING SKILLS AND EXPERTISE IN MAURITANIA AND SENEGAL In 2016, our investments in people and capability also impacted Mauritania and Senegal, where we have made a series of major discoveries of natural gas and now face the challenge of developing the resources in a manner that creates broad-based economic opportunity for the two countries. In Mauritania, for example, where youth unemployment is a pressing issue, we partnered with Start-Up Mauritania and the International Labor Organization (ILO) to create a center for promoting entrepreneurship where young people can learn the skills required to start new businesses. In addition, we increased and expanded our investments in English language and business administration training through the Centre de Formation et de Perfectionement Professionels, the largest vocational training center in Nouakchott. As the oil and gas industry grows in Mauritania, and creates an ecosystem of businesses within its supply chain, it will require people with the right skills and expertise. In Senegal, we have committed to supporting the government in the creation of an oil and gas institute intended to develop the leaders and operators of the country’s petroleum industry. In addition, Kosmos has focused its early social investments on enhancing the capability of the national oil company, Société des Pétroles du Sénégal (Petrosen), through training and supplying powerful new workstations that can analyze the complex seismic and drilling data from offshore exploration. We have also organized and facilitated workshops to deepen the knowledge of various government agencies, parliamentarians, civil society organizations, and media outlets working to promote good governance and transparency in the oil and gas sector. Our goal is to help Senegal prepare for the day when major hydrocarbon production begins. RISING TO NEW CHALLENGES With our natural gas development taking shape offshore Mauritania and Senegal, and an active exploration program underway, we will have to raise our level of performance to meet ever higher expectations. The future holds several challenges: •  Continuous Improvement in Safety – In 2016, we met our safety target with a total recordable injury rate of 1.3 and marked our fourth straight year without a lost time incident. We cannot allow ourselves to become complacent. We must stay focused on protecting our people and contractors while continuing to drive toward an injury and incident-free workplace. •  Accelerating the Delivery of Sustainable Economic Benefits – Our proposed floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) project offshore Mauritania and Senegal has the potential to be an engine of growth. LNG exports could make both nations important energy suppliers for many years A graduate of Kosmos-sponsored English classes at a vocational training center in Nouakchott, Mauritania is awarded her graduation certificate by Kosmos Energy Vice President and Mauritania Country Manager Mohamed Limam.