The Management of the Takoradi Technical University (TTU) and the Petroleum Commission of Ghana have signed a GHc 3.5 million agreement to train Ghanaian youth in the upstream oil and gas sector.

The move is expected to boost local content in the oil and gas sector as well as its allied industries.

The programme, christened: "The Accelerated Oil and Gas Capacity training programme" (AOGC) forms part of government's strategic agenda to localise most of the expatriate roles for Ghanaians to play a critical role in the production and management of oil and gas resources in the country.

During the signing of the pact, the Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Commission Mr. Egbert Faibille Junior explained that the AOGC programme was part of the effort to ensure that gaps in competency requirements and skills needed for employment in the upstream petroleum sector were filled by Ghanaians and equipped with skills to guarantee the availability of human expertise to participate in the Upstream Petroleum Sector.

“The Commission is committed to the Local Content objectives and therefore will collaborate with local institutions in areas of skills development and the transfer of technical know-how to allow more Ghanaians take up critical roles in the efficient management of Ghana’s petroleum resources,” he added.

According to him, the programme is aimed to cut down cost in bringing expatriates to the country to support the developmental agenda of the nation.

The high cost of importing these expatriates workers continue to have an adverse effect on the revenue generation of the country, hence, the introduction of the AOGC, he stated.

Mr. Faibille Junior. further explained that the Accelerated Oil and Gas training programme is being funded from the Commission’s levy.

He assured stakeholders of the Commission’s resolve to ensure sustainable and equitable distribution of gains from the oil and gas resource to benefit Ghanaians.

On his part, the Vice Chancellor of TTU, Rev. Prof. John Frank Eshun commended the Commission for its commitment to provide opportunities to more Ghanaians to play meaningful roles in the upstream petroleum industry through the Government Accelerated Oil and Gas Capacity programme.

Rev. Prof. Eshun was very optimistic that the partnership would yield the needed results and change the fortunes of the country to reap the full benefit in the production and management of the country’s oil and gas resources.

“Takoradi Technical University is committed to supporting the Commission to develop its technical capacity by giving the trainees the requisite training and exposure that will help them participate in petroleum and the allied industries in one of the best training facilities on the African continent, the Jubilee Training Centre at TTU," he stated.

Explaining the details of the training, the Vice Chancellor indicated that the trainees would be taken through Instrumentation Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Process Engineering and Health and Safety.

“The JTTC is equipped with the state-of-the-art industrial replicated oil and gas learning environment to give the best skills and competencies to the trainees, he added.

Rev. Prof. Eshun assured the Commission and the public that the trainees would receive a world-class training from internationally certified lecturers with the needed critical skills and competencies to enable them take commanding roles in the petroleum and its allied industries.

“The Jubilee Technical Training Centre was strategically established by the University and the Jubilee Partners to oversee the training of Ghanaians with knowledge and skills in the exploration, production and management of the oil and gas resources to help the socio-economic development of Ghana”, he stated.