Phyllis D. Osabutey
29 June 2009
A GHANAIAN Company, Vicome Limited, has said Ghanaian businesses and individuals have to position themselves properly to take advantage of opportunities that would be presented by the country's emerging oil industry.
To achieve this, Ghanaians who have an interest in the industry, must focus on health and safety issues that permeate all aspects of the industry, through professional training, to tackle challenges that are bound to confront the industry.
It is in view of this that Vicome, a company based in Aberdeen and New Jersey in the United States of America, has come to Ghana to take up the challenge of supporting Ghanaian businesses and individuals to obtain maximum benefits from the industry.
The International Representative of Vicome Ltd., Mr. Kwadwo Darko Ansah, speaking at the introduction of the Company in Accra on Friday, said the company would help Ghanaians to recognise business ethics and standards, focusing on safety, technology and regard for modest innovative techniques needed to operate in the industry.
He said the oil and gas industry, usually made up of engineering and construction, needs vocational and technical expertise to support it, and though this expertise can be sourced locally, without training in simple health and safety industry processes, the work would be very challenging.
He lamented that foreign contractors have mainly been those handling work in the industry so far, because they had the right training to perform, thus it was important "to conscientise Ghanaian businesses and individuals to take up opportunities the emerging industry has to offer to contractors and skilled individuals."
This, he noted, would help stimulate the private sector, and also avoid industry accidents that could be fatal such as the Piper Alpha - UK Continental Shelf accident that resulted in 167 deaths, stressing, "usually, companies want to avoid accidents, and so will bring outsiders if they can get expertise."
According to him, there was therefore the need for exploration companies, engineers and project managers to be trained in cleaning, health, safety and environmental awareness, since these are imperative to work processes.
In his view, this would enable all in the industry to match international levels of business standards, and understand that they need to be effective in their work, and further be able to subcontract to other Ghanaians in fields like joinery and wielding among others.
Thus, Vicome, in partnership with another company, Weenas, who are leaders in international oil and gas safety solutions, would provide "training, seminars, and workshops focusing on safety processes and procedures peculiar to the industry."
Mr. Ansah was optimistic that this would enable Ghanaians to compete with international companies, and become aware of the significance of the processes required to succeed in the industry, otherwise "a sustainable local participation will be long in coming."
On his part, a Representative of the Deputy Minister of Energy, Mr. Kweku Boateng, said the government was aware of the challenges that the industry was likely to face, hence it was focusing on preparations for proper management of the energy resources.
He observed that the government would not shirk its responsibilities, but was expecting to collaborate with organisations to achieve effectiveness, saying, "the industry is complex and capital intensive with many challenges, but we are preparing to meet them in order for Ghanaians to benefit from the opportunities."
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