Special topics
Hatfield, together with the Kumasi Institute of Technology, Energy and Environment (KITE, Ghana) are working to develop an ICT Platform to support transparency and accountability, and two-way monitoring of the Oil and Gas sector in Ghana.
The discovery of commercial quantities of oil in 2007 resulted in significant oil and gas sector developments for Ghana. These opportunities need to be balanced with concerns raised by the general population and impacted communities with respect to environmental and social impacts. With the start of oil production, Ghanaians are concerned that their country’s record of economic, social and democratic development may be eroded by the challenges posed by the oil boom.
Through the effective use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), stakeholders impacted by extractive industries can be empowered to better understand potential costs and benefits of development activities related to the oil and gas sector on their communities. In this way, ICTs can facilitate a feedback loop between government institutions, private-sector firms and communities to monitor and track the impact of extractive industries on communities.
To build an accessible, democratic ICT solution, Hatfield will implement a three-phased project:
Phase 1: Development of methods to track, monitor and disseminate information on oil and gas sector impacts;
Phase 2: ICT platform development and trial; and
Phase 3: Monitoring and evaluation of the ICT platform trial.
Hatfield is developing an overall approach that utilizes participatory approaches to identify appropriate technologies that fit the capacities of users and can be sustainable overtime.
