GE Oil & Gas has opened a new facility in Takoradi Port, Ghana. The facility, which is set to be the primary service centre for deep-water offshore projects in Ghana, has a 1600 square meter indoor test area with capability for testing three subsea trees (XTs) simultaneously, and 4000 square meters of indoor and outdoor storage.
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Lorenzo Simonelli, President and CEO of GE Oil & Gas termed this move a demonstration of their commitment to developing local partnerships and capacity building to deliver effective and efficient solutions for their customers.
The company, in addition to a commitment to delivering more than 45 000 training hours for Ghanaian personnel over the next five years, has also partnered with a USAID-funded Supply Chain Development project to build the capacity of local small and medium businesses.
GE Oil & Gas has recruited more than 30 Ghanaian staff to work at the new facility, including two fully-trained field service engineers. The new facility is already playing a critical role in supporting the installation for Eni’s Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) project – for which GE Oil & Gas is supplying subsea and turbo machinery equipment.
In addition, the company has partnered with Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and Ashesi University College in a two-phased approach to local capacity building that is inclusive of education and skills development, and a small to medium enterprise (SME) development program.
According to Simonelli, localization supports growth in the communities in which they work, while increasing productivity. Furthermore, GE’s placement as a global company gives a well-rounded economic impact on the regions where they operate.
He also expressed the company’s excitement in providing support to Ghanian projects which will be acting as an important energy source for the country.
Ado Oseragbaje, President and CEO, sub-Saharan Africa, GE Oil & Gas also highlighted the added advantage of having them on board owing to their strength and scope to be able to stay close to their customers, work where they work, and invest in the training and facilities required to reduce complexity, provide faster turnaround of equipment deliveries, support partners and build a solid talent pipeline in-country.
