Takoradi, April 21, GNA 97 A petroleum institute to be known as =91Harvard Marine Petroleum Training Institute" would be established in Takoradi in June to train more youth to work in the oil and gas industry.

This will be in pursuance of the local content policy for more local participation in the oil and gas sector The Director of the Institute, Captain Ron McGrath, said this at a passing-out ceremony for 913 trainees of the Sigma-Base Technical Service in Takoradi on Thursday.

He said to involve more local participation in the petroleum industry, more Ghanaians would be given training in the petroleum industry and international certification so as to be competent enough to work in both local and foreign oil companies. Mr McGrath said to provide opportunity for over 10,000 Ghanaians and other nationals to work in the oil and gas sector would be in fulfilment of the local content policy of the government.

The Director of the Sigma-Base Technical Service Limited, Mr. Ebo Haizel Ferguson, said the company provides training for prospective employees in the petroleum industry in welding, pipefitting, mechanics, electrical works and fabrication.

He said the company had almost 2,000 skilled trainees who would be passed out for further training in Environmental Awareness Programme with affiliation to the Harvard Marine Institute which would be opened soon.

"Currently many of our trainees are qualified to take up jobs in the petroleum sector therefore I appeal to the oil companies to grant contracts to Sigma-Base so that we can have the means to generate more funds to continue further training for the workforce." Mr Ferguson said it was pertinent for Ghana to prepare the youth to participate in the oil industry and that the institute was prepared to receive any assistance the government might offer in order to train more unemployed youth.

The Rev Dr. Paul Henry Dsane said the training of the youth should be both public and private partnership initiative, adding that this would help meet the 90 percent local content participation in 10 to 15 years.

He appealed to the traditional authorities to empower their people by investing in them saying human resource development should be treated as the most important natural resource for continuous sustenance of the economy.

Rev. Dsane appealed to the youth to go into ancillary services and related self employment opportunities in the oil and gas sector.