ExxonMobil and Africare have announced the commencement of a three-year development programme to help African women expand their skills and access business and industry markets on the continent.

The new Educating Women and Girls initiative will provide training and development courses which focus on increasing entrepreneurial capacity and business skills.

Commenting on the launch, Rex W Tillerson, chairman and chief executive officer, of ExxonMobil, said: "An extensive body of research demonstrated that expanding education and resources for women and girls is one of the most effective ways to promote health and economic development."

He added that as one of the largest contributors to foreign direct investment in Africa, it was important that ExxonMobil showed its commitment to the progression of domestic workers.

In other company developments, Exxon Neftegas was recently handed the Excellence in Project Integration Award by Petroleum Technology Conference in recognition of its commitment to integrated development strategies at the Sakhalin-1 project in Russia.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development