Hon Armah Buah (left) presenting the cheque to Prof Kumah
The Minister of Petroleum Emmanuel Kofi Buah has cut the sod for the construction of a building to facilitate the establishment of the School of Petroleum Studies in the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) at Tarkwa in the Western Region to produce skilled graduates to work in the petroleum sector.
He said the establishment of the school falls in line with the national framework for the training of Ghanaians in the petroleum sector to promote the country’s policy on local content and participation.
The government, about two years ago, announced its intention to establish a school of petroleum in one of the country’s universities.
The UMaT met the selection criteria, and during one of his visits to the University in Tarkwa, President John Mahama announced that the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) had agreed to collaborate with UMaT to upgrade its Petroleum Engineering Department into a centre of excellence.
The GNPC subsequently presented a cheque for GH¢2 million to start the first phase of the construction of the building of the School of Petroleum Studies, which is estimated at GH¢5.5 million.
At a brief ceremony to present the cheque to start the construction of the project, the Petroleum Minister commended the university for effectively training mining, petroleum engineers and other professionals in spite of the infrastructural challenges.
He noted that the government has been focusing on the building of state-of-the-art laboratories and facilities in some tertiary institutions to building capacity in the oil and gas industry.
“The GNPC is also focusing on producing the best petroleum engineers in the country,” he added.
The Minister reiterated his commitment to establishing the new School of Petroleum Studies at UMaT.
Carmen Bruce-Annan, Manager, Corporate Affairs of GNPC, stressed that the petroleum corporation had been mandated by law to develop the capacity of Ghanaians in petroleum related disciplines.
Vice Chancellor of the UMaT, Professor Jerry Kumah, expressed gratitude to the stakeholders for the initiative and revealed that the university had been ranked the best in Mines and Technology in Africa.
“UMaT is the only mining university in West Africa and has the mandate through the Act of Parliament to train manpower for the minerals and oil and gas industry.
He revealed that the Petroleum Engineering Department of the university had been offering undergraduate courses since 2009.
“The department has so far successfully churned out over 100 petroleum engineering graduates throughout the period,” he added.
He applauded the GNPC for fulfilling its promise of helping to transform the department into a centre of excellence.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Tarkwa