‘Ensure proper management of Ghana’s oil

Deputy Minister for Water Resources Works and Housing, Dr Hanna Bissiw

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on Oil and Gas has charged government to ensure proper management of the country’s oil resources in order to boost revenue.

The group made the call at a one-day seminar held in Accra last week to raise concerns over the country’s oil sector and what government needed to do to boost the nation’s economy.

Speaking at the summit, the Coordinator of CSOs, Mr Mohammed Anim Adam, noted that Ghanaians are expecting so much from the oil exploration and as such government must apply strategic methods to meet the expectations of Ghanaians.

Enumerating some of the strategies required to ensure the efficient management of the oil revenue, Mr Anim Adam said government must be fair and firm and not reduce the recruitment of the working staff to party politics.

“The petroleum revenue management bill should provide a development public investment through budgetary appropriations, consistent with a long-term development strategy of the country and which should be specific.

…As CSOs we further charges government to develop medium and long-term development plans for the development of the sector through public consultation”, he added.

Continuing, he maintained that petroleum funds should be directed to human capital development including agriculture and infrastructure.

Lamenting on the low participation of the private sector, the group said the roles of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) should be clearly defined with the context of local content which also required the involvement of the Ghanaian.

For his part, the chairman of the group, Dr Augustine Tawiah, called on government to “adopt strategic methods” for the benefit of Ghanaians.

STORY: MILLICENT YARO