GODAC trains West Africans for oil sector

Ghana Oil Drilling Academy and Consultancy (GODAC), an internationally accredited oil drilling training institution, has graduated its first batch of students in Accra as part of its efforts to train qualified personnel to meet the demand for local content in the oil and gas industry in the country.

The graduates numbering 34 were made up of nationals from Cameroon, Nigeria with the majority coming from Ghana, and other West African countries. They are expected to be employed by the region’s oil and gas industry.

Prince Frimpong Donkor, President and Chief Executive Officer of GODAC, in his address to the graduating students said the Academy has come out of strenuous challenges to lay the foundation for opportunities which the students should take advantage of in their fields of endeavor.

“We are inordinately proud of you because we believe you are more than able to grasp the torch that we bestow upon you. Yours is the future and on you the world will come to depend,” Mr. Donkor advised the graduates.

“The oil and gas industry is confronted with an inadequacy of brains so severe that it threatens to stall exploratory and production growth around the world, of which Ghana is no exception.

“Despite large-scale unemployment in the country, the youth are still unsure of a system at the national level to fast-track training of Ghanaians for participation in this huge market that is supposed to influence the economy.”

Donkor indicated that oil and gas companies tend to ignore the inclusion of local people in their operations, often with the excuse that local people have no requisite qualifications, and emphasised that the situation leads to the employment of indigenes on oil rigs for several years without promotion.

“In addressing these inconsistencies, GODAC - a private initiative by some Ghanaians - has put in place structures to ensure training of Ghanaians and West Africans in general to participate at all levels of the industry, be they employees, facilitators or entrepreneurs,” he said.

Dr. Joseph Annan, Chairman of the Technical Committee of the Oil and Gas Sector, commended the students for going through the vigorous programme to acquire required skills to the highest standard at their level to face the challenges in the oil and gas sector.

He added that it is important students understand the need and importance of standards as early as possible during their education. He advised the students to take advantage of skills acquired to seize opportunities offered by the emerging oil industry.

As part of the Drilling and Well Services Training advanced course, students were taken through internationally recognised certification in various programmes such as train operation, rigging and slinging.

Other programmes which were of Norwegian standards and requirements included: Elementary Fire Fighting, Personnel Survival Techniques, Elementary First Aid, Industry Safety and Hygiene; and Introduction to Hydraulics as well as Workshop Theory, Practice; and Engineering Maintenance.

GODAC was established in 2008 and began operations in 2009. It is currently the only successful oil drilling academy in West Africa aimed at enhancing Ghanaians’ and Africans’ ability to serve Africa and future generations.

It has both international and local highly-qualified instructors, who have worked in different positions on drilling platforms and have extensive experience in the oil and gas industry.

It also has accreditation from the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), International Well Control Forum (IWCF), Norwegian Oil Industry Association (OLF), Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Indian Drilling Association, National Accreditation Board, Ghana, and ISO 9000:2001.

GODAC is partnered with two of the world’s most respected and trusted names for oil drilling training in Europe, NORTRAIN from Norway and Caledonian Training of Scotland. This brings to the organisation a combined wealth of over 40 years experience in training workforces for the oil and gas industry across the globe.