Stakeholders in Ghana’s Oil and Gas industry have bemoaned what they say is the low level of investment in the training of personnel in the sector.
According to them, government has done little to increase local participation in the sector, despite the implementation of the Local Content Law, which seeks to promote the maximization of value addition and job creation through the use of local expertise, goods and services in the petroleum industry value chain.#
Speaking to Citi Business News on the sidelines of the Third Africa Oil and Gas Talent Summit, National Coordinator for the summit, Yeboah Sarha, said government must create more schemes to train locals to take advantage of opportunities in the downstream and upstream sectors of the industry.
“Government should invest more in training the youth and locals in the oil and gas industry, this will help deal with unemployment and also give us better value for our money in the country’s oil sector.”
He added that, government should also build the capacity of Ghanaians by sending them for attachment programs outside the country.
“We can work with the industry players for them to work with Ghanaians outside some of their companies. For instance if people are sent to places like Houston or other places, these are areas where Ghanaians can go and work and government will foot the bill so that the people can gain experience and come back and work within the industry”, he suggested.
About the summit
The 3rd Africa Oil and Gas Talent Summit (AOGS), is under the theme, ‘Digital Workplace Transformation for Africa’s Energy Future.’
The summit also brought together participants from across the continent.
A key feature of this year’s summit were the roundtable sessions and expert presentations with delegates and exhibitors, made up of Chief Executive Officers of Exploration and Production and Service companies, Ministers of state and directors of oil and gas, energy and power companies, and Local Content Managers.
The AOGS is an annual event that brings together African operators, service providers and regulators to power-up their digital workplace strategies – particularly in a time when the industry is seeking innovative strategic responses to a lower-forever oil price future.
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By: Anita Arthur/Citibudsinessnews.com/Ghana