Ghanaians To Study Abroad In Petroleum Industry - Under Scholarship Packages

The government, in collaboration with oil extraction companies in the country, has arranged several scholarship packages for Ghanaians to pursue further studies abroad in various fields of the petroleum industry.

The initiative, according to the Minister of Energy, Dr Oteng Adjei is to build the capacity of Ghanaian nationals to achieve the desired expertise and know-how in the oil and gas industry.

Dr Oteng Adjei made this known in a speech read on his behalf by the Director of Petroleum, Ministry of Energy, Dr Paul Frempong, at the 9th quadrennial delegates’ conference of the General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers’ Union (GTPCWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Koforidua.

The event, on the theme “Repositioning Labour as an Equal Partner in the Oil and Gas Industry”, which was attended by representatives of workers of the union countrywide and sister unions in Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya, was to take stock of its activities with special regard to the oil find and plan for the future.

According to Dr Oteng Adjei, Ghana’s Jubilee Field with an expected reserve of about 800 million barrels of light crude oil and an upside potential of about 1.8 million barrels, as well as significant quantities of associated natural gas, required a local content policy for effective exploitation.

He stated that such a policy called for Ghanaians to have the required qualification and expertise in the oil and gas sector, adding that it was in that respect that the government was collaborating with companies operating in the sector for a scholarship scheme for Ghanaians to study abroad.

Dr Oteng Adjei, who cited a typical example of advance studies and mentorship programmes initiated by the Ghana National Petroleum Company/Tullow Ghana for 14 Ghanaians to study in universities in the United Kingdom, said such a scheme would in the long term provide Ghana with highly skilled workers in the industry.

That, Dr Oteng Adjei stated, would boost the oil and gas sector to generate the necessary revenue for economic growth and national development to improve the living conditions of Ghanaians.

With regard to the negative effects of oil exploration and extraction, Dr Oteng Adjei said the necessary steps were being taken.

The Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, Mr Moses Asaga, spoke on the importance of the oil and gas industry to the economy and said in line with the government’s “Better Ghana Agenda”, the Mills’ Administration was doing its best to improve the industry for the benefit of Ghanaians.

He congratulated the GTPCWU on its patriotism and maturity of leadership in dealing with the many challenges which confronted workers within the sector that ensured a peaceful atmosphere on the industrial front.

The General Secretary of the GTPCWU, Mr E. A. Mensah, said his outfit was concern about how the local content policy was being implemented.

He stated that although the policy had all that it should take for Ghanaians to participate meaningfully in the sector, its implementation had been botched with difficulties and wondered whether the provision to achieve 90 per cent local content coverage in 10 years would be achieved.

On the passage of the Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Law (E&L), Mr Mensah was not happy that it had not been done a year after the first oil was poured in Ghana and called for speedy action on the issue.

Mr Mensah, who dwelt extensively on the union’s activities, said although a lot had been accomplished, a lot more remained to be done because there were still some unfriendly management issues making it difficult for the union to operate. He, however, expressed the hope that a way would be found in the interest of the workers.

The acting General Secretary of the TUC, Dr Yaw Baah, said the TUC had, since oil was discovered in Ghana five years ago, played and would continue to play its role to ensure efficient management of the oil revenue. Apart from that, Dr Yaw Baah said the TUC would also always ensure that workers employed by the oil companies were protected with good conditions of service.

Earlier, the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, in a welcome speech expressed concern about the rate at which land was being sold to expatriates in the wake of the oil find.

According to him, the situation is worrying, since the land belonged to both the present and future generations and called on stakeholders to look into it because it had the potential of threatening the security of the country. Mr Terlabi also called for adequate measures to ensure safety in the oil and gas sector.

The Technical Director of the National Petroleum Authority, Mr Isaac Tagoe, also addressed the gathering, while solidarity messages were read by representatives of sister unions in both Ghana and countries such as Nigeria and Uganda.