MODEC, in collaboration with Tullow Oil Ghana Limited, has funded and constructed a state-of-the-art Welder Training Centre at the Regional Maritime University (RMU) in Accra to properly equip locals in welding and fabrication.
The $1.6-million training centre is expected to spearhead Ghana’s quest to become a major energy hub in the region.
It will be accredited by the American Welding Society (AWS) and will be used to train and accredit welders at different competent levels for the oil and gas industry and beyond.
The centre is equipped with the best welding equipment and training technology in the sub-Saharan African region.
Also, to improve upon the electrical system of the RMU, MODEC, in collaboration with Tullow Ghana, has funded the installation of a new 2MVA transformer with associated switchboards and breakers.
The 2MVA transformer, at a cost of US$300,000, can handle all expansion works currently going on at RMU, as well as in the years to come.
Vice-President, MODEC International Inc., Mr Puneet Sharma, speaking at the inauguration of the centre, called for a larger representation of skilled local human resource in the Ghanaian oil and gas industry.
According to him, there is a gap in the skills set needed for the oil and gas industry.
“Majority of indigenous people who call themselves ‘welders and fabricators’ do not have any formal education and practical training, as well as the required international certifications,” he said.
He stated that the lack of certification has made it difficult to engage them in the upstream petroleum sector.
Mr Charles Darku, Managing Director of Tullow Oil Ghana, stated that good quality welding that meets international standards is a very big part of success in the complex work of not only subsea engineering but in any industry.
He said education and capacity building remain high on Tullow Ghana’s agenda, and assured it will continue to focus on projects which would create mutual value and enhance capacity building through education and skills development.
Ing. Addy Lamptey, Provost of the Regional Maritime University, said the project will significantly benefit RMU and raise its profile as a destination for high quality educational and technical training programmes.
Lauding MODEC and Tullow Ghana for the initiative, he pledged continuous and proper maintenance of the facilities.
The Regional Maritime University was chosen for this initiative after meetings and provisional visits were conducted to potential sites to identify viable and realistic locations for the proposed Welder Training Centre in 2013.
The school already had a welder training facility and its vision to produce local labour for the oil and gas industry was in tandem with MODEC’s dedication to Ghana’s petroleum local content policy and the recognition of the skill and certification gap among locals in welding and fabrication.
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