The National Board for Small-Scale Industries (NBSSI) will champion local training and employment initiatives to ensure that ordinary Ghanaians benefit from the production and distribution of oil and gas.

Speaking to Ghana News Agency, John Gershom Koomson, western regional director of the NBSSI, said the organisation is drawing up a framework to ensure that small business can compete effectively for contracts in the country's emergent oil and gas industry.

He added that the framework will focus on outlining how micro businesses and small enterprises can secure subcontracts from major oil and gas companies operating in offshore fields.

Tullow, a major stakeholder in the Jubilee and Tweneboa plays, expects to achieve first oil by the end of the year, while exploratory drilling still continues.

Mr Koomson explained that by forming cluster groups to secure contracts, small businesses could compete to provide services that are currently imported from international suppliers outside of Ghana.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development