President Akufo-Addo with beneficiaries of AOGC programme at the Jubilee House
The Petroleum Commission is sponsoring eight engineering lecturers from various public technical universities in the country to study abroad to enhance their teaching skills.
The sponsorship is under the government’s Accelerated Oil and Gas Capacity (AOGC) programme established to enhance the capacity of Ghanaians to enable them work in the oil and gas sector.
The eight will travel to the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Canada to receive specialised training known as “becoming a master instructor framework.”
Under the programme, the beneficiary lecturers will train and obtain certification as pipe fitters, mechanical technicians and welders.
The announcement was made by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Petroleum Commission, Egbert Faibille on Wednesday when he presented the eight candidates to President Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House ahead of their departure from Ghana on January 22, 2022 to begin their 10 months’ studies.
Mr. Faibille said the move formed part of efforts towards deepening participation of Ghanaians in the oil and gas sector and for that matter the upstream petroleum industry.
“These persons are being trained at the sole cost of the Petroleum Commission and on return, will be mandated to introduce pipe fitting alongside other competences that they are going to obtain in their various institutions,” he said.
The beneficiaries will return to Ghana after their training to train other young people who are interested in upstream welding in order to develop further the capacity of more young people for their possible engagement by players in the oil and gas sector.
The lucky lecturers included Emmanuel Marcus Abaidoo, Daniel Kyei-Kankam and Frank Nana Osei, all from the Takoradi Technical University, and Isaac Oppong from Kikam Technical Institute.
The rest are Abdul Hamid Mohammed from Tamale Technical University, Wise Kwashie Klomegah from Ho Technical University, Samuel Garriba from Cape Coast Technical University and the only female, Gladys Perpetual Awudi from the Koforidua Technical University.
President Akufo-Addo was impressed that the Petroleum Commission had sustained the AOGC policy on its mandate to develop the capacity of Ghanaians for strategic participation in the oil and gas space.
He charged the eight candidates to take their studies seriously so that upon their return, they can make meaningful contributions to the country’s oil and gas sector.
“You are part of a nation building exercise and if God willing we succeed in developing and bring prosperity to it, you have a very coveted place in that narrative and that story,” President Akufo-Addo said.
The AOGC was established in November, 2017 with the intent to enhance the capacity of Ghanaians to enable them to work in the oil and gas sector.
It will be in effect for five years and aims to train individuals in various technical and vocational areas, build the capacity of educational institutions to be able to train students and provide internationally recognised training certificates, provide business and management training for SMEs, and to ensure the continuous professional development of employees of various public institutions connected to the oil and gas industry.
The objectives of the programme include ensuring the creation of jobs and professional integration pathways, facilitate capacity building of educational and training institutes, invest in education and skills enhancement, minimise the cost of training, localise training, improve quality of education/training, empower local companies to actively participate in the oil and gas industry, train Ghanaians in high job creating sectors (welding, pipe fitting, fabrication and installation, etc.), and to encourage women’s participation in the AOGC.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu