Business News of Wednesday, 6 November 2019
Source: thebftonline.com
2019-11-06
File photo
Mr. Kwasi Agyeman Manu Senya, Business Advisory and Enterprise Development Manager at the Petroleum Commission (PC) has noted that most indigenous companies do not read the law on local content.
“Assess yourself and know your capability and do your assessment before engaging in the sector” he said. He mentioned that there are a lot of opportunities in the sector and urged indigenous companies who are ready to participate in the sector to take advantage of it.
“If we are to be internationally competitive, then, you need to work on the system very well. Petroleum Commission is ever ready to support indigenous Ghanaian companies to grow” he added.
Mr. Senya was speaking at the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI), Sekondi-Takoradi branch engagement with the Petroleum Commission in Takoradi on the theme “Oil and gas best practices and local participation”.
The programme had participants from the civil society groups, small and medium enterprises, queen mothers, women groups and the media,
He encouraged the indigenous companies to upgrade themselves since technology is changing every day and that skills development is very important, invest in the business for it to grow.
He mentioned areas reserved for indigenous Ghanaian companies in the oil and gas sector as; scaffolding, waste management, security services, fire fighting, vehicle rental and leasing among others.
Mr. Kwadwo Asare Kyei, Local Content Manager of the Petroleum Commission called for participation of more women in the oil and gas industry.
He pointed out that only 22 percent of local companies registered with the PC have Ghanaian women as shareholders and called for an increase in the number.
He said as part of efforts to augment women participation in the sector, series of training programmes have been lined up for local companies with women shareholders.
According to him, this will build the capacity of such companies to become more competitive and encouraged other companies with women as shareholders to enter the sector.
The Western Regional Chairman of the GNCCI, Mr. Stephane Abass Miezan, commended the PC for the education and training it continues to offer and urged them to collaborate more with the chamber to ensure that more Ghanaian businesses benefit from the oil find.
He urged the PC to explore ways on how women-owned companies in the sector can have easy access to funding to support their businesses.
Mr. Solomon Kusi Ampofo, Natural Resource Governance Coordinator of the Friends of the Nation praised PC for the initiative and added that more work should be done to achieve its objectives.
He suggested that a quota should be given to companies owned by women in the sector to ensure that they become profitable.
