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The Minister for Energy and Petroleum, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has affirmed the government’s commitment to creating opportunities for local companies to participate in the oil and gas industry.
Mr Buah made the remark when the Ghana Exploration and Production Forum, a not-for-profit association of private sector upstream oil and gas companies operating in Ghana, called on him at his office in Accra yesterday.
The call was to congratulate the Minister on his appointment and to pledge support for him to achieve the policy objectives of the Ministry.
In a statement from the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry, Mr Liberty Amewode, Mr Buah noted that, the Forum offered a good platform for his ministry to engage and communicate with the industry and expressed his desire to engage more frequently with them on relevant legislation, policy issues, environmental and safety issues, amongst others.
He stated further that, the Forum’s Feedback on the Draft Petroleum Bill was necessary, adding that, his ministry was willing to hold a meeting to discuss the Draft Bill.
He affirmed the government’s commitment to creating opportunities for local companies to participate in the industry and expressed his desire to work closely with them to realise that objective.
He encouraged the Forum to look for ways through which to educate the people of Ghana on its work and promised to support them in that regard.
Mr Anthony Djokoto of Tullow Oil, who led Forum, said it started as an informal gathering of representatives from a small group of oil and gas companies operating in Ghana. According to him, it was formed to promote the long term sustainability of the industry, to promote the interests of its members and to provide valuable feedback on industry legislation and policies and their implications.
He said the Forum represented member interests by advocating through formal and informal dialogue with government and civil society, particularly in areas relating to regulation of the industry and local content, adding that, they looked forward to discussing the Draft Petroleum Bill and provide feedback to the government.
Source: ISD
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