Mr Gameli Kumasi, Project Coordinator, Enterprise Development Centre (EDC), has called on indigenous companies to overcome their operational difficulties to enable them to win contracts with the oil companies.

Mr Kumasi said this during an interview with journalists at the Centre in Takoradi.

He said quite often Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) failed to win contracts in the petroleum industry because they did not have clearly defined environmental, security and safety measures, as well as the technical and commercial expertise to execute contracts.

In this vein, he advised SMEs to form joint ventures to enhance their competences so as to secure meaningful contracts.

Mr. Kumasi said the Centre, established in 2013 to enhance the competences of SMEs to secure contracts with multi-national oil companies, would continue to mentor and coach SMEs to enhance their chances of securing contracts in the petroleum industry.

He said the Local Content Law, Legislative Instrument ( LI 2204 of 2013) required multi-national oil companies to give some percentage of contracts in the petroleum sector to local enterprises in order to promote local participation.

He said some well-structured local enterprises had secured lucrative contracts with the oil companies and provided services like accommodation, catering, fabrication, welding, clearing of sites for oil companies to set up their equipment among others.

Mr Issa Oudraogo, a Social Entrepreneur and Executive Director of B-BOVID, has called on local enterprises to be innovative and add value to their produce.

Mr Oudraogo, who recently won a United Nations award for innovation and is a former Western Regional Best farmer, said God had blessed the nation with so many natural resources and the youth must make use of these resources than depend on foreign support.