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Equatorial Guinea launches oil and gas technical training programme

16 MAY 2016 | SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT |  PDF    

Equatorial Guinea is to launch an oil and gas technical training programme, covering critical industry disciplines, which will see students spend two years in Canada at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT Polytechnic).

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The Ministry of Mines, Industry and Energy of Equatorial Guinea has announced that it has signed an agreement with the SAIT to provide comprehensive technical training to Equatorial Guinea nationals in Calgary in Canada. The two-year programme, which will provide the students with core and specialised oil and gas knowledge, is part of the government’s drive to promote workforce nationalisation in the industry. 

SAIT’s ‘International Workforce Development’ and ‘Workforce Nationalisation Training’ have been successful in transferring technology to Africa countries, boosting national capacity and promoting local content. The first partnership between SAIT and Equatorial Guinea saw the training and development of the first nationals to work in the oil and gas industry, specifically on the offshore Zafiro complex, the country’s largest oil field.

“The oil and gas sector is driven by people and technology. Through this historic training programme, we are investing in both,” said Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima, Minister of Mines, Industry and Energy. “The government of Equatorial Guinea is empowering its nationals with the technical tools they need to lead the next generation of our nation’s oil and gas industry so we can be better stewards of our resources.”

The curriculum will cover production field operations, energy asset management, maintenance of operations and electrical instrumentation and mechanical training. Underpinning the programme will be extensive safety training. Upon completion, every student will receive an SAIT Certificate of Achievement and will return to Equatorial Guinea equipped to handle the rigorous demands of the oil and gas industry.

Equatorial Guinea produces nearly 300,000 barrels per day of petroleum liquids and exports 3.7 million tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas to markets worldwide. As the output of its offshore legacy oilfields decline, the country is investing heavily in improved oil recovery methods and technologies to maximize every drop in reserve. Equatorial Guinea operates at the cutting edge of industry practices and is expanding its role in the energy value chain through megaprojects that push the technological envelope. This includes the Fortuna floating liquefied natural gas facility, which will be the first of its kind for Africa when it produces first gas in 2019, the Bioko Oil Terminal and the Riaba Petrochemicals Complex.