Special topics
President John Dramani Mahama has cautioned managers of the country’s oil and gas resources against any form of compromises that will deny the nation the expected revenue inflows.
He said the expectations of the oil and gas find in Ghana were very high, and as such the laws regulating the industry must be implemented to the letter.
President Mahama said this in a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, at the inauguration of a $10 million office building for the commission in Accra yesterday.
Describing the petroleum commission as a key part of the oil and gas industry, the President said: “The people of Ghana are counting on you, and the government will support you to deliver.”
Mr Mahama mentioned compliance as a key area for the growth of the oil and gas industry.
“Consequently, one of the major tasks of the commission is to ensure consistency of its compliance regime while managing the expectations of industry, the government and citizens at the same time.”
The President entreated state agencies and departments to co-operate with the commission to deliver on their mandate, which included provision of sustainable and cost-efficient petroleum activities, recommendation to government on national policies related to petroleum activities, and monitoring and ensuring compliance with theh relevant legislation and policies.
Local content
President Mahama said it was not for nothing that the government pushed for the passage of legislative instrument for the petroleum sector local participation.
He explained: “The purpose was to promote the maximisation of value addition and job creation through the use of local Ghanaian expertise, goods and services.”
Mr Mahama added, “The watchword here is job creation and I am happy to note that the local content committee has been inaugurated today.”
He asked the local content committee to ensure that it scrutinised all local content plans submitted to it by companies and make appropriate recommendations.
Progress
The President expressed delight that since the commission took over the regulation of the sector, it had worked assiduously to ensure it had the requisite staff in place to deliver on its mandate.
“You have also streamlined the application process for work permit for the upstream sector. I am told all applications for the upstream sector are now routed through the commission. Additionally, clearance must be obtained from the commission for drilling rigs,” he said.
The President asked the commission to ensure effective communication with the local communities and civil society to ensure sanity in the system.
He commended the board and management of the commission for their vision.
The Chairman of the commission, Prof. Ivan Addae-Mensah, said the commission was co-operating with the Enterprises Development Centre to develop the capacity of their staff.
He said the commission had also developed a five-year strategic plan to help execute its mandate.
The acting Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Mr Theophilus Ahwireng, said serious attention had been placed on developing the local content activities because they were key to the growth of the industry.
Source: Graphic online
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