By Kodjo Adams, GNA
Accra, Sept. 21, GNA – The Petroleum
Commission has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Northern Alberta
Institute of Technology to train five Ghanaian welders to become
internationally accredited and certified.
The Commission has also collaborated with
Saiwest Limited, an integrated service company in oil and gas industry, to
train over 20 Ghanaians across the country as welders at a facility in
Takoradi.
A speech read on behalf of Mr Prince
Benjamin Aboagye, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Petroleum Commission,
announced this in Accra at the reception ceremony held for Ghanaian
participants who traveled to Brazil for capacity building training in the oil
and gas sector.
In January 2019, MODEC Production Services
Ghana JV Limited (MPSG), a Japanese firm supported 16 Ghanaian nationals to
travel Brazil and learn from best practices and impact the knowledge acquired
to the country’s upstream sector.
The beneficiaries were selected from
different departments in the extractive sector and spent six months to get
hands-on training in Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSOs).
They were trained in FPOSs maintenance,
operations, and management and upon their return to Ghana, the trainees are
expected to impact their knowledge to others in the country’s oil and gas
sector, with the aim of building a much stronger local content for the nation.
Mr Aboagye said the programme demonstrated
commitment to the enhancement to local content in the country, an initiative
which feeds into government agenda to develop the human resource base for
increased participation in the oil and gas sector.
He said more of such initiatives be
encouraged in the industry to develop the competencies of Ghanaians and
position them to take up key roles in the field.
He said as a part of government’s
accelerated oil and gas capacity programme, the Commission is working with some
multinational companies such as Baker, General Electric, and Haliburton to
establish a framework to offer technical training to a number of Ghanaians.
Mr Aboagye urged the participants to
reciprocate the gesture by serving their employers with diligence, honesty, and
integrity and by extension the country as a whole.
Mr Theophilus Ahwireng, the Managing
Director, MPSG, congratulated the trainees for the successful programme and
urged them to give their utmost support for the growth of the sector.
He said their outfit would continue to
invest in the building capacity of Ghanaians to be competitive in the oil and
gas market.
Mr Kwaku Andoh Awotwi, the Managing Director
of Tullow Ghana, expressed satisfaction to be a part of the programme, and
urged the participants to inculcate the knowledge acquired to benefit their
organizations.
Mr Gideon Yinsob, one of the trainees, and
human resource practitioners, thanked MODEC Production Service and its partners
for supporting them to upgrade their skills in the oil and gas sector.
He said the training was successful and has
learnt more about job evaluation, human resource planning and strategy and
salary scale.
He pledged to use the experience acquired to
improve service in the oil and gas sector for sustained performance.
Ms Victoria Ayita, a beneficiary and a
Supply Chain practitioner, said she learnt new trends in the sector and would
apply the knowledge in the organisation for improved change.
GNA
