Bapco and Institut Francais du Petrole (IFP) have signed an agreement to develop skills of the national manpower in oil and gas-related sectors and to improve their performance and competencies.

It was signed by Oil and Gas Affairs Minister and National Oil and Gas Authority (Noga) chairman Dr Abdulhussain Mirza and IFP chief executive officer Dominique Barthe.

The agreement with IFP, a leading training and development services provider in the sector, will enable Bapco's employees to meet the requirements of international criteria and ensure the highest return on investment to the company.

The services of the IFP, based in Rueil-Malmaison and Lyon, France, cover a wide range of exploration, drilling, refining, economic and management activities.

Its high-quality services will benefit not only Bapco but potentially also many companies and major industrial organisations in Bahrain and GCC countries, through its high-profile programmes and initiatives.

'The benefits that Bapco will derive from the training services of the institute will contribute to empowering the company to enhance development and learning and training systems not only at the national level, but also at the regional level,' Dr Mirza said.

'It will also support the directives of the country and Noga in the ambitious Economic Vision 2030, one of the main objectives of which is the development of the kingdom as a prestigious international training and development centre, and a regional leader in the sector,' he added.

'We are very proud of this agreement, which represents a channel of co-operation between Bapco and one of the leading pioneers world-wide in the provision of technical training for the oil and gas sector,' said Bapco acting chief executive officer Faisal Al Mahroos.

'Our investment in developing national manpower in this vital field will have a major impact in both the short and long run, on developing and improving performance in one of the main sources of the national economy.'-TradeArabia News Service