Women begin free training in oil, gas skills

Thousands of women aspiring to own shares in cooperative-style oil/gas corporation have begun training in parts of Nigeria.

The scheme is part of a programme by a US-trained Nigerian creative entrepreneur, Charles Dukwe, who has introduced what he calls Women-in-Oil (WIO) initiative aimed at capturing a chunk of the oil and gas industry for women only.

The first stage of the scheme, after registration with N8,700 for a share that would have cost N120,000, is the training programme for able and capable women who would not just be equity owners but personnel.

WIO is one of 23 schemes by New Nation organisation founded by Dukwe when he returned to Nigeria after stints in the US and Canada. The organisation is now said to be employing thousands of staff members.

A statement from New Nation on Wednesday indicated that the training is taking place in all states of Nigeria. “One of the major benefits of Women-In-Oil membership is free oil and gas training. This training is designed by the WIO Corporation to take place in phases starting with the basics and then to the more specialised and technical areas of the petroleum industry”, the company said.

According to Dukwe, “The first phase which is also the foundational phase covers a broad spectrum of the oil and gas industry from the upstream (E&P) to the downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry. Presently, members of Women In Oil Corporation are undergoing a foundational course that gives them a basic knowledge of the petroleum industry.”

IGNATIUS CHUKWU