Government should secure national interest in oil find- GODAC

Accra, July 18, GNA - The President of Ghana Oil Drilling Academy and Consultancy (GODAC), has asked Government to define a road map on how to achieve the proposed 90 per cent local content in the burgeoning oil industry.

Mr Prince Frimpong Donkor, also the Chief Executive Officer of the academy said it is common knowledge that oil companies usually ignore the inclusion of local people in their operations often on the grounds that they do not have the prerequisite qualification. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency during the graduation of 34 students of the academy, Mr Donkor said there is the need for government to put in place clearly defined legislation to guide the operations of the oil companies and also strategise on how local

people would be fully integrated into the oil production industry. He urged government not to allow operating companies to dictate the pace of training of the local population, emphasising the need for the Executive and stakeholders to develop and adopt standard training programmes for the citizenry.

Mr Donkor said offering the people specialised training and skills would ensure that they take up the lower jobs and bring their expertise to bear on the country's development process. Touching on the training of graduates, Mr Donkor said GODAC provide students the opportunity to get first class qualifications at home instead of travelling to Europe for similar courses. He said trainees from GODAC, who successfully completed the International Association of Drilling Contractors course, have good understanding of rig power system, a practical knowledge of basic maintenance and an understanding of the rig environment.