Rigworld Group, in partnership with the Regional Maritime University (RMU), has opened a new safety training centre in Accra, becoming their second in Ghana.
The Rigworld Training Centre (RTC), located within the premises of the RMU, is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to provide top-notch training in safety requirements for the oil and gas industry as well as other sectors of the Ghanaian and international industrial sectors.
Rakesh Chandra Singh, Training Centre Manager for the RTC, Accra, after a tour of the facility, told News Ghana in an interview the need for various establishments to prioritise safety in order to make good returns from their investments.
“There are very few people or organisations who have a safety culture as something important. However, when they come and do basic training with RTC, we inject something into their minds. This is where we mould people to think about plan B; so safety-wise, the centre is important for people working offshore,” Singh said.
Ashish Mathema, Service Line Manager for RTC, observed that the centre is aiming not only to address the safety requirements of Ghanaian firms in the oil and gas industry, but also for those of international companies.
“The oil and gas industries are also promising. More exploration is coming, so it means more drilling, and obviously we have to match the requirements of the training. Yes, we are aiming to capture the international market as well as neighbouring countries where these facilities and services are not available; and by opening in Accra, we will help to bring them here to have easy access to our facilities.”
Mathema assured that the RTC was working hard to position itself to be the preferred safety training centre in the country.
“Yes, there is some work that needs to be done. I can promise you that we are in the right direction toward achieving and serving not just here in Ghana, so that in the long term, they don’t have to go outside of Ghana to cater for their training needs. So, as oil and gas exploration is growing, we are also growing along with them,” the RTC Head of Business Unit added.
The representative for Southey Contracting Limited, Catherine Nyaniba Apenteng, stressed the importance of safety training in their operations, and why they train their personnel at the RTC.
“Safety is the key in everything that we do because if our personnel are not safe, we are not making money, we won’t be in business, so we have to make sure our personnel going offshore go with ten toes and ten feet and come back with ten toes and ten feet as well; so it’s one of the things we look at. So, we make sure every person who is going offshore knows what to do in every emergency case, which is why we always bring them to the Rigworld Training Centre.”
Ms. Apenteng also commended the Rigworld Group for opening another training centre in Ghana’s capital.
“I think it’s a brilliant idea because although we work in Takoradi, with everything happening in Takoradi, we do have the majority of our personnel living in Accra; and whenever they need to upgrade their knowledge and skills, they have to travel all the way to Takoradi, and accommodation is expensive. So with Rigworld having a base here, it is going to be very convenient for all our clients.”
The centre, which received its accreditation earlier this month, runs programmes that will be led by internationally recognised training leaders with courses including offshore survival training, rope access training, well control, drilling, lift competence, NDT training, hose assembly, and health, safety and environmental training.
The RTC in Takoradi, set on two acres of natural surroundings in the oil city, is fully-equipped with advanced simulators, a helipad, a water survival training pool, a medical centre, prime onsite accommodation, a restaurant and a fitness centre.
The high demand for the RTC in Takoradi compelled the Rigworld Group to open the Accra RTC, and it envisions expanding operations to cover the West African and other international markets.
