By Edward Dankwah, GNA
Accra, Oct. 19, GNA – Mrs Abundant Hayford Aggrey, National President, Women and Youth in Oil, Gas and Green Transition (WOGGT), has called on President John Dramani Mahama to safeguard the Presidential Oil and Gas Skills Initiative against alleged political interference to ensure its successful implementation.
She said the initiative was critical to building local capacity in the upstream oil and gas sector and creating opportunities for Ghanaian youth and women to acquire internationally recognised technical and safety certifications.
Mrs Aggrey made the call in a statement issued and copied to the Ghana News Agency on the progress of the pilot training project, which is being spearheaded under President Mahama’s leadership and coordinated through the Office of the Executive Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama.
The initiative seeks to equip 700 selected Ghanaian youth and women with specialised offshore and onshore safety certifications, including Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (BOSIET), advanced water survival, and firefighting.
Mrs Aggrey expressed concerns about what she described as deliberate attempts by political opponents and other detractors to undermine the programme’s credibility and impede its nationwide expansion.
She said the initiative was intended to give “ordinary” Ghanaian youth and women a direct opportunity to participate in the country’s oil, gas, and green energy sectors.
“This vision was created to ensure that the everyday Ghanaian youth and woman gain a direct stake in our national oil, gas and green energy wealth,” she said, reaffirming her commitment to securing opportunities for the beneficiaries.
Mrs Aggrey urged President Mahama and his office to provide the necessary institutional support and protection for the initiative and WOGGT’s leadership to prevent political interference from derailing its objectives.
The National President assured enrolled candidates that WOGGT remained committed to securing the required operational funding to implement the remaining phases of the project.
Mrs Aggrey said the programme would complement the Government’s 24-Hour Economy initiative and The Big Push infrastructure development strategy by developing a pool of certified local professionals for the energy industry.
She said WOGGT had mobilised and organised trainees from across the country despite awaiting the final disbursement of dedicated state funding for the project.
She clarified that although the mobilization process involved consultations with national student and youth networks, regional groups, and partner organisations, WOGGT retained responsibility for the programme’s executive implementation, technical management, and national oversight.
The ultimate objective, she said, was to ensure that all 700 candidates received the requisite certifications and opportunities for placement in the industry.
GNA
Edited by Linda Asante Agyei