Collaborative efforts needed to boost the global competitiveness of indigenous Ghanaian welders in the upstream petroleum sector

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Collaborative efforts needed to boost the global competitiveness of indigenous Ghanaian welders in the upstream petroleum sector

The Deputy Minister for Energy, Hon. William Owuraku Aidoo has called on all agencies under the Ministry to support the Petroleum Commission in its efforts to ensure indigenous Ghanaian welders play key roles in the nation’s upstream petroleum industry.

He made this call during a meeting at the Ministry of Energy where the CEO of the Petroleum Commission, Mr. Egbert Faibille Jnr. highlighted challenges welders face when seeking jobs in the industry.

“In spite of the many job opportunities available for indigenous Ghanaian welders, some are unable to take full advantage of these opportunities because Ghanaian trained welders do not have the international training and certification required in this high-risk industry,” he explained.

“The establishment of the Ghana Welding Bureau (GWB) by the Petroleum Commission under the leadership of the Ministry of Energy seeks to address these challenges,” he added.

On his part, Consultant, with the Accelerated Oil and Gas Capacity Building (AOGC) Programme at the Commission, Dr. Paul Frempong, explained that, with the regulation of the welding industry, the challenges that have burdened the industry will be addressed.

Earlier this year, the PC established the GWB to address these challenges. Its objective, among others, is to collaborate with relevant technical institutions to ensure that training and qualification of welders is standardised to international specifications.

It is anticipated that with support from agencies under the Ministry, technical institutions, and industry partners, these challenges will be addressed to pave way for increased employment in the upstream petroleum, mining, automotive and other allied industries.

The GWB was launched in February this year by the Minister for Energy, Hon. Matthew Opoku Prempeh. It was established under the AOGC Programme to increase Ghanaian participation in key roles in the upstream petroleum industry through training, and capacity building of technical/vocational institutions.

Source : Petroleum Commission