NAIROBI, Kenya
Oil drilling company Tullow Kenya recently has announced recipients of its 2013 scholarships. The initiative will see 10 young Kenyans get an opportunity to pursue postgraduate studies in highly specialised fields related to the upstream oil industry.
Speaking at the event held at Sankara Hotel in Nairobi on 6th September, Martin Mbogo, the Tullow Kenya country manager, said the scheme is part of the company’s social investment programme aimed to build capacity in areas where there exist significant skills gaps.
He also added that there was need for the company to support long-term socio-economic development in countries where it operates. The scholarship, which covers full tuition fees and a monthly stipend, has an estimated value of $56,000 per student yearly.
It sponsors a wide range of courses including Engineering and Technology, Environmental and Geosciences, Oil and Gas Economics, Law and Legal courses among others. The scheme, launched last year in Kenya, has seen similarly an additional 10 beneficiaries being selected to further their education.
This year saw a significant increase in the number of applicants, with a record 5,930 applications received, compared to 740 applications last year. Applicants are drawn from both public and private sector. Scholarships are targeted at individuals who can exhibit a track record of success in their field of interest.
“The industry is currently in its early stages and its development will depend not only on the mutually beneficial partnerships amongst our stakeholders but also on how much capacity is available locally. In developing local capacity, we are investing in skilled human capacity which is critical resource for any business, and more so in emerging oil and gas sector,” said Mr. Mbogo.
In his speech read by the commissioner for Petroleum energy Mr. Martin Heya, the cabinet secretary for petroleum and energy Davis Chirchir said in order for Kenya to reap significant benefits from resource exploitation and development, skill gap issue must be addressed.
He points out that Kenya is in the budding stages of oil and gas lifecycle and the demand for specialists in the petroleum sectors continues to grow. The Tullow Group scholarship scheme is run through a partnership between with the British Council, an internationally recognized service provider in scholarship management and partnership development in higher education.
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