Ghana Turns to PTI for Oil and Gas Training, Eyes Centre of Excellence October 20, 2026

 

EFFURUN, Delta State

Ghana has turned to Nigeria’s Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, Delta State, to strengthen its technical capacity in the oil and gas industry, with a high-level delegation from the country’s National Petroleum Authority exploring strategic partnership with the Nigerian institution towards establishing a centre of excellence.

The delegation, led by Dr. Joseph Wilson, Director of Research at Ghana’s National Petroleum Authority, visited PTI on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, to explore opportunities for technical assistance, institutional collaboration, research, professional training and human capital development across the upstream and downstream segments of the petroleum industry.

The visit underscores Ghana’s determination to leverage Nigeria’s longstanding experience in petroleum training and technical manpower development to build local expertise, while reinforcing regional cooperation and knowledge exchange within Africa’s hydrocarbon sector.

Welcoming the delegation on behalf of PTI’s Principal and Chief Executive, Engr. Dr. Samuel E. Onoji, the institute’s Director of Research and Development, Dr. Tina Isichei,  expressed delight at the visit and assured the Ghanaian officials of the institution’s readiness to establish a mutually beneficial partnership that would advance petroleum industry expertise in both countries.

Speaking at the institute’s Council Chambers, Dr. Isichei described the engagement as an important opportunity to strengthen regional solidarity, facilitate knowledge transfer and promote institutional cooperation in developing a more technically competitive African oil and gas industry.

She recalled that PTI was established in 1972 to develop the technical manpower required to support Nigeria’s emergence as a major player in the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the global petroleum industry.

According to her, the institute has trained more than 50,000 personnel over the past 54 years, many of whom have contributed to the growth and development of Nigeria’s petroleum industry and other oil-producing economies.

She said PTI’s decades of specialised training, practical experience and technical expertise had positioned it to provide valuable assistance to Ghana as the country seeks to strengthen its capacity in petroleum exploration, production, processing and related operations.

“PTI is ready and glad to be of help to the Ghana National Petroleum Authority in every conceivable way, having gathered the expertise over the 54 years of the institute’s existence,” she said.

Dr. Isichei commended the Ghanaian delegation for identifying PTI as a potential strategic partner, expressing optimism that the proposed collaboration would create opportunities to improve technical training, strengthen professional competence and expand institutional cooperation between the two countries.

PTI Highlights Expertise, Practical Training

Explaining the factors behind the institute’s longstanding reputation, Dr. Isichei identified four major pillars underpinning its achievements: expertise, experience, exclusivity and effectiveness.

She emphasised that PTI’s focus on practical, hands-on training distinguished the institution as a destination for specialised petroleum education and technical skills acquisition.

According to her, the institute’s training philosophy is designed to equip trainees with the practical knowledge, technical proficiency and professional competence required to operate effectively in the increasingly sophisticated and technology-driven petroleum industry.

On academic quality assurance, she explained that the institute’s curriculum is certified by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), reflecting its commitment to recognised standards in technical education.

She added that its training programmes are supported by specialised facilities and experienced personnel capable of translating theoretical knowledge into practical industrial competence.

Dr. Isichei identified the institute’s areas of strength to include welding and fabrication, drilling and well control, National Skills Qualification (NSQ) certification programmes, the Skills Development Academy, firefighting training, underwater welding operations and research clusters.

She noted that the combination of specialised training infrastructure and resourceful technical personnel had enabled PTI to provide professional training across several critical areas of petroleum operations.

The PTI representative assured the visiting officials of a guided tour of the institute’s facilities to enable them to assess its infrastructure, training systems and operational capabilities firsthand.

She also encouraged the delegation to explore participation in PTI’s Annual International Conference on Hydrocarbon Science and Technology, an initiative she said had been promoting manpower development and knowledge exchange in the petroleum industry since 2023.

Why Ghana Chose Nigeria

Responding, Dr. Wilson conveyed greetings from Ghana to the PTI academic community and the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, while expressing appreciation for the warm reception accorded the delegation.

He described the presentations and discussions with PTI management as enlightening, noting that Ghana had much to learn from the Nigerian institution’s decades of experience, technical expertise and practical training capabilities.

According to him, the delegation’s principal objective was to explore ways of deepening technical capacity across the upstream and downstream segments of Ghana’s oil and gas industry.

He explained that Ghana deliberately chose Nigeria as a strategic partner because of the longstanding relationship between both countries, their shared regional interests and the need to promote African cooperation in critical industrial sectors.

“We are here basically to deepen capacity. For reasons having to do with regional solidarity, Ghana decided to choose Nigeria as a senior partner instead of looking outside the continental shelf of Africa,” he said.

Explaining the importance of the proposed collaboration, Dr. Wilson added: “Nigeria, being our big brother, became our desired destination for us to seek technical assistance to set up our own centre of excellence.”

He said the proposed partnership was expected to address several strategic areas, including legal frameworks, technical assistance, stakeholder engagement, consultancy services, human capital development and capacity building.

Dr. Wilson expressed confidence that the engagement would provide the delegation with valuable insights into the institutional structures, technical resources and training systems required to advance Ghana’s petroleum industry.

He thanked PTI management for the opportunity to examine the institute’s operations and discuss areas of possible cooperation, expressing optimism that the knowledge gained would help inform Ghana’s efforts to develop a specialised centre of excellence suited to its industry needs.

Delegation takes a tour of PTI’s Training Facilities

A major highlight of the visit was a guided tour of PTI’s specialised training facilities, during which members of the Ghanaian delegation received practical explanations of petroleum operations and the technical processes involved in oil and gas production.

Leading the visitors through the rig operations facility, the Director of Rig Operations, Engr. Lawrence Uti, explained the workings of the rig and demonstrated the operational principles behind equipment used in drilling activities.

The tour provided the visiting officials and engineers with an opportunity to connect the theoretical foundations of petroleum education with the practical realities of drilling operations.

The delegation also visited the institute’s flow station, where the Flow Station Director, Engr. Austin Ogugu, conducted the visitors around the facility and explained the processes involved in handling crude oil and associated production fluids.

Engr. Ogugu outlined the functions of the major components of the flow station, beginning with the wellhead and manifold and extending to the separators and designated gas, water and crude oil chambers.

He explained how the various components work together to separate and handle production fluids before the crude oil proceeds to subsequent stages of processing and handling.

The practical demonstrations offered the Ghanaian officials valuable insights into the equipment, operational systems and technical procedures required for effective petroleum production and processing.

The tour also highlighted the importance of practical training infrastructure in preparing engineers and other technical personnel for the demands of the oil and gas industry.

Other members of the Ghanaian delegation who participated in the discussions and interactive sessions included Bridgette Obiri-Yeboah, Director, Ghana National Petroleum Authority; Mohammed Issah of COMAC, Director of Policy; Eunice Budu Nyarko, Director of Commercial Services; and Sedinam Mammara, Director of Human Resources.

Others were Mudasiru Malana, Technical Aide; Saed Ubeidaleh, Head of Quality Control; Godwin Yan Konu, Director of Business Development; and George Sasu Afful, responsible for Talent Development.

Their participation reflected the broad institutional interests involved in the proposed collaboration, spanning research, policy, commercial services, human resources, quality control, business development and talent development.

The visit presents an opportunity for PTI to extend its technical expertise beyond Nigeria and contribute to the development of skilled manpower across Africa’s petroleum industry.

For Ghana, engagement with the institute could provide access to established training methods, specialised facilities and technical experience as it explores the development of its own centre of excellence.

For Nigeria, the proposed partnership offers another avenue for sharing technical knowledge and strengthening regional cooperation in an industry where operational efficiency increasingly depends on specialised skills, technological competence and continuous professional development.

The discussions also  brought to the fore the the importance of collaboration between African institutions in developing indigenous expertise, reducing dependence on external technical support and building the human capital required to manage the continent’s hydrocarbon resources effectively.

As the engagement progresses, the potential areas of cooperation identified by both sides could provide a foundation for more structured institutional relations, subject to further discussions and mutually agreed arrangements.

With more than five decades of petroleum training experience and over 50,000 personnel trained, PTI has presented itself as a potential strategic partner in Ghana’s quest to deepen technical capacity and establish a centre of excellence tailored to the needs of its petroleum industry.

The visit therefore marks an important step in exploring how Nigeria’s established petroleum training expertise could support Ghana’s capacity-building ambitions while promoting stronger technical cooperation between the two West African countries.