'ESTABLISH OIL FUND TO DEVELOP WESTERN REGION' (PAGE 20)

Story: Kwame Asiedu Marfo, Takoradi

PARTICIPANTS at the regional forum on the oil and gas policy held in Takoradi have advocated the establishment of a development fund for the Western Region to ensure the rapid socio-economic transformation of the region.
They have also suggested that the capacity of local businesses should be built to enable them to take advantage of the oil industry.
The participants further expressed concern about the indiscriminate sale of lands by the traditional authorities in the communities where oil had been found.
The regional forum was one of a series being held in the regions to involve all stakeholders in the discussion towards the final preparation of a comprehensive National Oil and Gas Policy, as well as a master plan for the country.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ahanta West, Mr Kwesi Biney, noted that the region had made great sacrifices to the country, saying, “It is time much is given to the region”. “Western Region needs a special fund aside the equitable distribution of the oil revenue,” he said, sressing that “ if any region needs a development fund, it is Western Region”.
Mr Biney stated that in case of an oil spillage, it was the people in the Western Region who would suffer it.
He pointed out that the region had not been treated fairly, in spite of numerous resources it had been producing.
The President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, Awulae Attibrukusu, said development was not only the provision of social infrastructure but also the development of human resource.
He urged the government to come out with a policy to acquire lands in the affected communities, to prevent them from being sold to foreign oil companies.
The Paramount Chief of the Western Nzema Traditional Area, Awulae Annor Adjaye III, expressed concern about the sale of lands along the coastal belt to some people.
He warned that the lands would be taken away from those who had bought them, which is not the best because the land was for the future generation.
Awulae Annor Adjaye advised the oil company undertaking the off-shore oil drilling to find a way of reaching the fishermen and educating them on the importance of the ongoing operations on the sea.
The District Chief Executive for Wassa Amenfi East, Madam Doris Oduro Gyapomah, suggested to the traditional authorities to seek legal advice any time they wanted to sign a social responsibility agreement with any company operating in their area.
The Paramount Chief of Wassa Fiase Traditional Area, Osagyefo Kwamena Enimil, suggested that since areas with gold deposit had not benefited from gold production in terms of development, there was the need to formulate good policies that would help the communities where oil had been found to benefit from the oil find.
A member of the Technical Committee on oil and gas, Ms Ama Jantuah Banful, said Ghanaians would have to control the oil sector within the medium to the long term through proactive encouragement of local businesses and focus on development of local raw materials and human capital.
She said the National Oil and Gas Policy would provide the framework for developing the industry’s master plan.
The Director in charge of Exploration and Production of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Mr Thomas Manu, noted that skill development was crucial in the development of the oil industry, since it would improve the local standards to meet the international standards in the oil industry.
He stressed the need for the setting up of a good emergency response centre to link the international one to deal with oil spillage.
Touching on the activities of fishermen near the oil rig, Mr Manu said the GNPC did not look at the issue as a nuisance, adding, “we recognise this as legitimate since they derive their livelihood from the marine environment, in which we all operate”.
“We try to work with the fishermen as stakeholders in the industry,” he said.
The director said the GNPC had been meeting all the fishing communities along the coast to discuss its plans with them and inform them on the operations going on at sea at a particular period to enable the fishermen to keep off the area.
He said it was in their own interest that they were being advised to keep off the oil rig.
Mr Manu stated that there would be an increase in activities on the sea, as many supply ships would dock in the area.
He said when there was an oil boom, 30 metres radius from the oil rig would be burning gas, which would be injurious to the health of the fishermen.
The Deputy Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwasi Blay, said the Regional Co-ordinating Council had plans to involve the chiefs and other stakeholders to create land banks in the communities, where oil had been found and, if possible, extend it to other parts of the region.
He said the rate of development in the region had not been encouraging, adding, “we, therefore, have a bigger stake to ensure that this time round, the region derives maximum benefit from the oil find.”