WIOG & NUGS Partner to Empower Youth for Oil & Gas Careers

The Women in Oil and Gas (WIOG), in partnership with the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), has rolled out a nationwide orientation programme under the Presidential Oil and Gas Absorption Initiative to prepare young people, particularly women, for employment in Ghana’s oil and gas industry. Speaking at an orientation workshop for NUGS members in Accra, the National President of WIOG, Mrs Abundant Hayford Aggrey, said the partnership reflected the organisation’s long-standing commitment to equipping young people with the practical skills and internationally recognised certifications required to work in the sector. She explained that WIOG introduced its youth training programme in 2016 after identifying a major gap, not in academic qualifications, but in awareness of the certification, safety and ethical standards demanded by the industry. According to Mrs Aggrey, the programme has since gained national recognition and aligns with the government’s Presidential Oil and Gas Absorption Initiative, which seeks to train and employ more young people as part of the 24-hour economy agenda. She said the President had directed the Ministry of Energy, through the National Petroleum Authority, to fully sponsor selected trainees, while the Ghana Navy provided pre-certification survival-at-sea and swimming training to prepare candidates for offshore operations. Mrs Aggrey noted that the oil and gas industry was largely certification-driven, stressing that even junior high school graduates could secure employment if they acquired the required safety and professional certifications. She said the initiative was later expanded to the University of Ghana, Legon, where WIOG partnered with the university’s counselling department to train 196 students. “Out of this number, about 50 to 55 met the strict code, ethics and safety standards required to obtain Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health certification, and many of them are currently undertaking their national service,” she said. As part of the expansion, Mrs Aggrey said WIOG had allocated 400 training slots to NUGS to ensure nationwide representation, with additional slots reserved for traditional authorities, religious leaders and the public. She stressed that the selection process would be merit-based and non-political, cautioning that although government support could facilitate employment opportunities, only candidates who met industry certification standards would be allowed to proceed. She added that future engagements would include public auditions to assess applicants’ knowledge and suitability before admission into the programme, reaffirming WIOG’s commitment to building a competent and certified workforce to support Ghana’s growing oil and gas industry. The National President of NUGS, Rashid Ibrahim, described youth unemployment as a growing challenge that could pose a national security threat if not urgently addressed, and called for practical, industry-focused interventions. He said securing employment opportunities for students after graduation remained a top priority of his leadership and welcomed the WIOG initiative, which aims to train young people, including graduates and certificate holders, with the aptitude to work in the sector. Mr Ibrahim said the programme aligned with NUGS’ objective of bridging the gap between academic training and employability, adding that WIOG planned to train about 700 young people nationwide, beginning with an initial cohort of 200 participants from the Greater Accra Region. He expressed optimism that beneficiaries would be retained in the industry after training and contribute meaningfully to Ghana’s oil and gas sector. GNA