Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) Seeks Collaboration With PTI For ManPower Training
By Wilson Macaulay
A delegation of the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) led by Catherine Tumuaime Today, Tuesday June 4th 2024 in collaboration with the Nigeria Content Development Management Board NCDMB visited the Petroleum Trainining Institute PTI Effurun Delta State to finetune arrangement on how they can collaborate and work out modalities to strengthen the National building effort in the Oil and gas sector of the Uganda economy.
Tumuaime the Head of the Uganda
delegation stated in her bilateral address that Uganda being a baby in the Oil and gas industry, they are
in Nigeria which have come a long Way in the Oil industry .
Tumuaime explained that they are in Nigeria to learn and grow in the Process as they truly want to
benefit from the available National Content and Manpower Training Capacity and Research Potential domiciled in the Petroleum Training Institute PTI Effurun Delta State.
Catherine Tumuaime, the Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) of Uganda National Oil Company in her official Statement at the Council Chamber of the Petroleum Training Institute PTI during the visit , told the PTI Management Board that, they came to the Institute through the NCDMB to formalize the Process of What need to be done for Uganda National Oil Company to qualify for a collaborative engagement in different sectors of the Oil and gas industry, adding that they have actually started a Petroleum Training Institute ,but so far they are nowhere compared to what they have seen in PTI, hence they are eager and willing to learn.
The UNOC Human Resource boss explained that Nigeria being a long time Oil Producing nation With the the relevant expertise , the Uganda National Oil Company want the collaboration with PTI to involve Training of their personnel so that the Ugandan People after the Training can go back home with the experience they gathered here in PTI to man their relatively new Petroleum industry in Uganda.
Catherine Tumuaime who stated that the collaborative effort Will come to fruition by the grace of God, expressed optimism that with what she have seen in the the Process of the visit ,the Uganda delegation is in the right place to get proper guidance to grow their Oil and gas Potential for accelerated development of the East African nation .
Jessica Kyeyune , the National Coordinator of Uganda National Oil Company who also Spoke stated that the Uganda nation is interested in the collaboration in both upstream and downstream because already they have Projects going on at various level of construction . She stressed that they need collaboration with Nigeria through PTI to deepen their experience in the Petroleum industry.
She said in her words: ” UNOC want to follow the general practice of how Nigeria went through the ropes to get to where the nation is today in Oil and gas Production while we learn through the Process.”
She commended NCDMB for
interfacing between Uganda National Oil Company and the Petroleum Training Institute in making the meeting a reality.
Tassalla Tersugh, the Head of the NCDMB delegation who represented Engr Felix Omotsola Ogbe , the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB in her goodwill message thanked PTI for hosting the very crucial bilateral meeting between the institute and the Uganda National Oil Company for the purpose of benchmarking, knowledge sharing and collaboration in different sectors of the Oil and gas industry.
She added: ” For us in NCDMB we are happy to be part of the instructive bilateral union involving Uganda and Nigeria. We are indeed glad to be the midwife of the new opportunities.’
Continuing, Tessalla Tersugh said: ” PTI is very important and strategic because the Institute is a critical stakeholder in the Oil and gas industry , which controls the National affairs of our economy.”
Earlier in her welcome Address , the Principal/ Chief Executive Officer, Engr Dr Samuel Onoji, MNSE COREN Regd ably represented by Dr (Mrs) Tina O lsichei, Director, Research & Development assured the visiting Ugandan delegation that the Petroleum Training Institute PTI Effurun, is not new in the business of Training foreign Students through collaborative engagement such as they have come to formalize.
Dr Tina Isichei who gave examples of foreign Students Who were trained in PTI in the eighties from
Gabon, Saotome &Principe, Algeria, etc added that the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC )have made a right decision in seeking collaboration with PTI, which have the requisite expertise for Training Manpower for the Oil and gas industry.
She observed in her welcome Address that that PTI is the true success story of Local Content in action one good reason the NCDMB Prizes PTI in very high esteem.
Dr Tina Isichei giving a brief history of the institute, stated that PTI was established by an Act of parliament in 1972 which is about 52 years ago under the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
According to Dr Isichei, the vision of PTI is is to be become a leading Oil an gas Technological institute in Africa while the mission Statement is to provide competent Technical Manpower through quality Training and consultancy
according to International best practice in the Oil and gas industry..
The PTI boss explained that the Management Board have mechanism put in place to ensure that these standards for excellence are not compromised , a practice which has helped the institute to stay up there celebrating one success story after the other.