Oil experts estimate that Ghana will by the
second quarter of 2009 or early 2010 export about 60,000 barrels of oil a
day.
This is expected to move up to 200,000 barrels a day depending on the
quantities available, Sheikh I.C. Quaye, Greater Accra Regional Minister,
said in Accra on Wednesday.
He said with an estimated production of about 250,000 barrels a day, the
country stood to gain 72 million metric tons of gas, which could generate 250
megawatts of energy to supplement the country’s energy needs.
The Regional Minister, who made these remarks at a day’s regional
consultative meeting with stakeholders to solicit views and comments for the
Oil and Gas Policy, said Ghana’s oil discovery would be meaningless unless
every Ghanaian benefited from the resource as well as its developments.
The meeting was attended by the Ghana Navy, student representatives and other
members of the Regional House of Chiefs, Labour Commission, National
Commission on Children, security agencies and the media.
Sheikh Quaye said the policy when finalized would ensure that the whole
process did not lead to total neglect of other sectors of the economy, adding,
“best practices must be examined and incorporated into our national policy”.
Professor Kwaku Appiah Adu, Director of Policy Planning Monitoring and
Evaluation at the Office of the President and the Head of the Technical
Committee, said Ghana had a vision of becoming a net exporter of petroleum
and petroleum products.
He explained that measures were being put in place to ensure that the
environment was not polluted.
The policy would be an open-door one to encourage the continued licensing of
several oil companies, review existing petroleum laws, reduce block size and
enforce relinquishment.
Prof. Appiah Adu noted that the policy would also encourage private sector
participation and prepare procedures and criteria for biding, while
preventive measures would be put in place to avoid spillage.
“A Maritime Coordination Centre will be developed and the National Oil and
Gas Policy when finally developed will provide the framework for development
of the industry master plan and the views being collated country-wide are
crucial for the whole process.”
Stakeholders expressed the joy of the discovery of oil and urged government
to treat the process with caution.
Source: GNA
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