The Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC) has pledged its commitment and readiness to increase the participation of more females in the country’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Dr Ben Asante, who disclosed this at the opening of the 4th edition of the Gas Challenge in Accra on Wednesday, 15, 2023, said the company had been very conscious in increasing the interest of more females in the study of oil and gas related programmes.
This, he noted, would help many females to enhance their employability in the energy sector, stressing that the company offers more opportunities to female graduates.
Gas Challenge
The Gas Challenge is a quiz competition designed to refine society on the domestic use of gas, the economic opportunities along the gas value chain, health and safety matters related to the use of gas, and to bridge the gap between the industry and academics.
It was introduced in 2019 to broaden the knowledge base of tertiary students on the energy industry, particularly on the oil and gas sector.
GNGC is the country’s premier midstream gas business that owns and operates gas infrastructure required for gathering, processing, transporting and marketing of natural gas resources in Ghana and internationally.
Dr Asante said the company had been very particular in encouraging female participation in the country’s energy sector through deliberate actions.
He noted that Ghana Gas was interested in driving sustainable economic initiatives and that it will continue “to invest in people” in order to develop the country energy industry.
He said the company invests 45 per cent of its corporate social responsibility funds on education and its related programmes.
He explained that the company has constructed a number of educational infrastructure, teachers’ bungalows and e-learning centres for many schools across all the 16 regions of the country.
Why the Gas Challenge
Touching on the contest, Dr Asante explained that the purpose of “this competition is to build prerequisite intellectual capacity with our tertiary institutions and the country at large to enhance our knowledge-based of the energy industry in general and settling up the gas sector in particular.”
He added that Gas Challenges was particularly instituted to also promote career opportunities in the energy sector, stressing that the company offers internship and national service opportunities to the participating students in the contest.
The 4th edition was held on the theme: “Embracing the future together; building a sustainable gas industry through education.”
A total of 16 tertiary institutions are participating in the contest.
Commendation
The Chairperson of the Ghana Gas Planning Committee, Mrs Augustina Asare Osei in her opening remarks commended all the participating schools for their interest in the contest.
She also expressed her gratitude to the partners of the event.
The Vice Chancellor, for the university of Energy and Natural Resources, Prof. Elvis Asare-Bediako, in his address commended Ghana Gas for instituting the contest, noting that the contest “has been a game changer” between academia and industry.
For him, the engagement between academia and industry had been tremendous under the leadership of Dr Asante, urging him to continue with such engagements.
He said many students had developed interest in the energy sector, particularly in the oil and gas industry as a result of the contest.
The first preliminary contest was between the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), UCC, and the Regional Maritime University where UENR emerged winners with 63 points as against the 59 and 54 points of the RMU and UCC respectively.
Source: GraphicOnline
