As Iraq looks to develop its vast oil reserves after years of underinvestment, senior officials from the country's oil ministry are receiving training that will enable them to carefully evaluate new applications for exploration and development licences.

Forbes reports that the US government is sponsoring wide-scale training programmes to empower the ministry in furtherance of the country's push for autonomy.

Amy Myers Jaffe, a fellow in energy studies at the James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, said that the training programmes form an integral part of the country's ten-year development plan.

"It's not that different than training the Iraqi police or the new Iraqi military because you don't want people doing what they did under Saddam," he explained.

Last month, the ministry issued tenders for the drilling of 30 wells in the southern province of Maysan, as part of its ongoing strategy to boost oil revenues.

Global Education and Training event: Getenergy for Iraq