Manage oil find information well-media advised

Takoradi, Sept. 3 GNA - Mr Vincent Annan, Executive Secretary of the Sekondi-Takoradi Chamber of Commerce, has urged the media to gather and manage information in relation to the oil industry for the benefit of the youth and all other stakeholders.

Speaking at a day's seminar organised by the Western Regional Branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and sponsored by Oilfield Training Centre (OTC), Mr Annan said there was the need to educate the youth on their job prospects. He said the media should support projects that aimed at educating the youth on jobs that could help them make a living, rather than putting their hope on the oil industry alone. He advised the Ghana National Petroleum Company to interact with the business community of the region and enlighten them on what it takes to do business in the Oil and Gas industry, as well as help them set up a secretariat in the Western Region to take care of the needs and concerns of the local businesses. Mr Annan also urged them to comply with the provision of "local content involvement", where the recruitment and use of local expertise is highly recommended.

Mr. Ato Van-Ess, a trainer at OTC said the facility is a joint venture between two established oilfield service companies in the Gulf of Guinea. He said OTC provides a wide range of training courses to meet internationally accepted standards, including long term training through national vocation qualification.

Mr. Van-Ess said currently, the centre has trained two Ghanaians who are presently working on the rig. He urged the youth to make good use of their talents in order to tap the opportunities and advantages they brought, since most of the field work needed experts. 3 Sept 09