Speaking at the opening of the 2023 Local Content Conference attended by Oil and Gas Industry players in Takoradi, Dr. Opoku Prempeh described this as tremendous progress.

Addressing the press briefing section of the conference before the opening of the Local Content exhibition, he said the progress made possible by the passage of LI 2204 also propelled locals into discovering oil.

“The first oil development prior to the passage of the Local Content Regulation awarded only 6.5% of contracts to Ghanaian companies. After the passage of the regulations, about 20% of the value of contracts have been awarded to Ghanaian companies. We haven’t done bad at all. Let me point out that our drive towards optimal local content and participation also contributes to the successes we have achieved. I’m proud as a Ghanaian even now to say that we have a fully indigenous Ghanaian Exploration and Production company that has drilled and drilled successfully and discovered oil in the deep waters of this country. It’s not any easy feat,” he said.

The Energy Minister, while praising the achievements of the Petroleum Local Content Conference, which has become a flagship platform where oil and gas industry players meet to discuss the industry, said it is about time the conference is opened to the international community for other experiences to be brought in.

Also speaking on the theme for this year’s Petroleum Local Content Conference, “10 years of Local Content in Ghana’s Upstream Petroleum Industry: Achievements, Challenges, and Prospects,” the Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Commission, Egbert Faibille Jnr., said the implementation of LI 2204 has brought tremendous opportunities for Ghanaian businesses and job opportunities for qualified Ghanaians.

Egbert Faibille Jnr.-CEO, Petroleum Commission

In terms of capacity building for locals, the Chief Executive of the Petroleum Commission added that it has also seen growth as ten more Ghanaians would soon be enrolled in pipefitting.

“Even though all oil and gas pass through pipelines, this country has never had any technical institution teaching and certifying anybody as a qualified pipe-fitter. We have identified that concern, and we have worked with our Minister, and we have sent 9 to Canada to train and are back at Takoradi Technical University, Kikam Technical, TTI, among others. We have also sourced funding of $250,000 from Yinson to start training ten more Ghanaians at a Polytechnic in Singapore in January for a 10-month training period in pipefitting. So by the time they come back, we will have a foundation faculty of 19 to train and certify pipefitting,” he added.

Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Commission, Egbert Faibille Jnr., and Minister for Energy, Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh.

This year’s Petroleum Local Content Conference is a 4-day event. The second day will see various presentations by stakeholders, including the MD of Tullow Ghana, Wissam Al Monthiry, MD of ENI, Giuseppe Valenti, CEO of PECAN Energies Ghana, Kadijah Amoah, among others, reflecting on 10 years of Local Content Development in Ghana’s Upstream Petroleum Sector.