GWB HOLDS CONSULTATIVE MEETING WITH WELDERS AND STUDENTS IN THE CENTRAL REGION

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GWB HOLDS CONSULTATIVE MEETING WITH WELDERS AND STUDENTS IN THE CENTRAL REGION

Following the first Consultative forum of the Ghana Welding Bureau (GWB) earlier this year in Takoradi to reinforce the development of the welding industry in Ghana, the Petroleum Commission, under the leadership of the Ministry of Energy has held its second consultative forum at the Cape Coast town hall.

The fora series seeks to engage educational institutions, upstream petroleum institutions, professional bodies, and relevant stakeholders in the welding industry on the strategies employed to make Ghana’s welding sector the best through the GWB.

In a welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Mr. Egbert Faibille Jnr., emphasised the need for the nation to have a welding bureau.

He indicated that some areas in the upstream sector that have the most frequent work permit applications are roles for welders, pipefitters, instrumentation, process, mechanical and electrical technicians.

“This is a clear sign of a void arising from inadequate Ghanaian technician employees in the industry”, he said.

He re-emphasised that as part of GWB’s mandate, it will facilitate the training, qualification, and certification of Ghanaian welders to meet international standards, to play key roles in the industry.

“The Ministry of Energy and the Commission have collaborated to bring the pipefitting course up to the professional level, but in doing so, we want to work with everybody because we need to customise our course content in order to ensure that certifications issued by the GWB safeguard our welders and pipefitters as well as accepted and irrefutable in the international community,” he added.

Mr. Richmond Yeboah, a representative of the Regional Minister, expressed gratitude to the Commission for involving all stakeholders in the Central Region.

“Central Region commends the Commission for implementing the GWB, as local content is very important to the development of the community. I urge you all to embrace this initiative and ensure to benefit from the opportunities,” he added.

Manager, Accelerated Oil and Gas Capacity (AOGC) of the Petroleum Commission, Mr. Mustapha Hamid, in a presentation on the framework of the GWB added that welding is not only relevant in the upstream sector but can also be facilitated into other industries such as manufacturing.

“The Welding industry is poorly structured. There is lack of qualified skills and accredited training with less regard to health and safety and with the establishment of the GWB, it will help provide regulatory direction and certification for the welding vocation”, he added.

The participants were later taken through a gradual process of registering to become a GWB member through the GWB’s website by Consultant, AOGC, Dr. Paul Frempong.

A discussion forum was opened to allow participants share various perspectives on how to boost the benefits Ghanaian welders will derive from the Bureau.

Source: Petroleum Commission