The Petroleum Commission of Ghana under the direction of the Ministry of Energy has held a day’s consultative meeting in Cape Coast for welders to discuss issues pertaining to their certification.
The forum which is the second to be held in Ghana after the launch of the Ghana Welding Bureau in February this year brought together mechanical engineers, artisanal welders, and people in academia from the Central Region.
It sought to encourage these stakeholders to join the Ghana Welding Bureau (GWB) which is part of the Petroleum Commission’s drive to train and certify Ghanaian welders and pipe fitters to take up competitive positions in the oil and gas industry.
In an address, the Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Commission, Mr. Egbert Faibille Jnr indicated that the commission will continue to work closely with artisanal welders and those in academia to transform Ghana’s welding industry.
He emphasized it is important that in the training of the youth in the country to become successful no one should be left behind hence the training of welders most of whom are in the informal sector.
He said, “we don’t want to concentrate on only those in the schools…and we have master welders across the country without certification…we are here to hold hands with you and walk with you to ensure that we turn the story of welding around.”
Mr. Egbert Faibille Jnr indicated that the commission’s drive in this training will enable the welders to compete globally.
“…and we have the potential of doing that if we train right and certify right,” he said.
He however lamented how the training of individuals in pipefitting is lagging behind in the country after 60 years of independence.
“There’s no technical institution in this country today that trains people in any course known as pipe fitting let alone award certifications in pipe fittings…anytime that we have to use pipefitters, we have to bring in expatriates mainly to do the work.”
“They are due to graduate on 24th October and then come back and go to their respective institutions as certified master instructors,” he continued.
The institutions he mentioned include Kikam Technical Institute, Takoradi Technical University, Takoradi Technical Institute, Cape Coast Technical Unversity, Koforidua Technical University, Ho Technical University, and Tamale Technical University.
The CEO also said the commission has begun discussions with the institutions and GTECH on how pipefitting can be introduced as a course in Ghana’s technical institutions.
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Source: Rosemond Asmah/ATLFMNEWS
