Nana Kobina Nketsia V, Omanhene of Essikadu has called for concerted national efforts to use the oil find to unite Ghanaians.
He said the Ghana Trade Union Congress (TUC) as the mouth piece of the people must lead in the fight for the underdogs in the Western Region who in the midst of abundance of resources live in poverty.
He tasked the TUC to investigate how people are being “imported” outside the region to work on the oil rigs as labourers while the human resource for the industry abounds in the area.
Nana Nketsia made the call at an on-going two-day National Stakeholders’ Conference in Accra on the theme: “What it takes to make Ghana’s Oil and Gas Resources a Blessing to the People of Ghana.”
He said the only way the oil find could be a blessing but not a curse is when everyone is allowed to take interest in the industry.
The Omanhene commended the TUC for supporting the call by chiefs, in whose jurisdiction the oil and gas was found to have a stake in the industry, saying if the union had behaved otherwise “I will have said TUC has betrayed the people”.
The Omanhene called on well-educated Ghanaians to study the local content and other documents concerning the oil and gas so that they could educate their communities on the text.
Mr Kofi Asamoah, Secretary General of the TUC said the union noted that for Ghana to avert the oil and gas curse required a continuous dialogue on policy and monitoring.
He said the Union has submitted suggestions to Parliament for consideration into the Revenue Management Bill and the Production and Exploration Bill.
“The TUC has made its views on oil and gas known to government through submission of inputs to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and Parliament for consideration into the annual Budget Statement and Economic Policy,” he stressed.
The Secretary General observed that the conference would bring together interest groups in the oil and gas industry for dialogue and sharing of experience aimed at exploring the best ways to make oil and gas resources a blessing to the people of Ghana.
Presenting a paper on “The Political Economy of Oil and Gas Industry”, Professor Kwamina Panford of the University of Cape Coast said kicking against the collateralisation of the oil and gas revenues was not enough.
He therefore urged Parliament to pass the Right to Information Bill and the Revenue Management Bill so that information could be accessed on the utilisation of the oil and gas revenues.
Source: GNA
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