Cape Coast, Oct. 17, GNA - The key objective of government to rapidly grow the country's economy with proceeds from the oil and gas sector could only be achieved if the private sector plays an active role in the process.

Dr Osei Boeh-Ocansey, Director General of the Private Enterprise Foundation (PEF), made the observation at a day's workshop on the oil and gas industry in Cape Coast, on the theme: "Opportunities in Ghana's emerging oil and gas industry for local participation."

It was organised jointly by the PEF, Ghana Journalists Association and Ghana Institute of Engineers (GhIE), with the aim of ensuring that Ghanaians derive the maximum benefits from the oil and gas sector by fully participating in it.

Dr Boeh-Ocansey recommended to the government to ensure skills development of local entrepreneurs in the sector, because they could play a crucial role in achieving the 90 per cent local content target by 2020.

Dr Robert Adjaye of the GhIE and the Petroleum Skills Development Institute said corporate entities should be encouraged to form partnership with educational facilities to develop the needed local training centres.

He asked local companies to form international strategic alliances with foreign service providers, to benefit from their skills and expertise.

Dr Adjaye said there is the need for the nation to create separate, well resourced and empowered agencies to implement the local content aspect of the oil and gas find, adding that Ghana's procurement policy should give preference to indigenous industries and workers.

He outlined some of the challenges against the local content objectives as; inadequate infrastructure such as roads, water and electricity, relatively undeveloped industrial base, lack of comprehensive and integrated national capacity building programmes as well as inadequate training centres and institutions.

Dr Adjaye said a well informed media is essential for effective dissemination of information and management of the national expectations of the oil industry.