By Kofi Ahovi
LUKOIL Overseas Ghana Limited has sponsored 10 Ghanaian students to study various disciplines in oil and gas in Russia.
LUKOIL and the Ministry of Energy signed a MOU after the parties had discussed implementation of a joint project encompassing exploration, appraisal, development and extraction of hydrocarbons at the Cape Three Points Deep Water block in the waters of the Gulf of Guinea.
According to the document, Lukoil will organize studies for students at Russian oil and gas educational institutions at the request of Ghana’s Ministry of Energy. The first stage of the program will last for 5 years, starting in 2011. During this period, 50 students will complete their training, and then will be engaged in Lukoil projects in Ghana.
Upon completion of the first stage of the program, the parties will consider the possibility of a 5-year extension of the program that would follow the same terms. Lukoil will be responsible for all organizational and financial issues related to the students’ studies during the entire training period.
Speaking to the country director of LUKOIL, Pavel Bogomolov, at a farewell reception for the students in Accra, he explained that the company hopes to, in the next five years, depend on local professionals in its entire endeavour in Ghana hence the educational sponsorship.
He added that the company believes in developing the human resource in areas that it operates.
Incidentally, the sponsorship package is part of activities to celebrate LUKOIL’s 20th anniversary worldwide. The oil exploration company has also invited the Noyam Dance Assemble to Russian to perform as parts of activities ear marked for the anniversary celebrations in November this year. “This is our little contribution to promoting Ghanaian culture in Russia,”
Russian government has on an annual average provided scholarship package to 40 Ghanaian and the government of Ghana has made a proposal for the number to be increased to 60 in the near future.
Speaking to some of the students, they expressed appreciation to LUKOIL and its partners for providing them with the opportunity.
LUKOIL is Russia's second largest oil company and its second largest producer of oil. In 2009, the company produced 97.615 million tons of oil; 1.972 million barrels per day.
Headquartered in Moscow, LUKOIL is the second largest public company (next to ExxonMobil) in terms of proven oil and gas reserves. In 2008, the company had 19.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent per SPE standards. This accounts to some 1.3% of global oil reserves. The company has operations in more than 40 countries around the world.
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