Educational material on oil and gas launched

Accra, March 24, GNA - The Oil and Gas Sector Research and Advocacy Project (OGSRAP) on Wednesday launched two publications to deepen public understanding about the country's fledgling oil industry. They were launched in Accra by Nana Kobina Nketsia V, Omanhene of Esikado Traditional Area in the Western Region. Mr Ishmael Edjekumhene, Convener of Oil and Gas Stakeholders Network (OGSN), said the publications easy to read and understand would serve as a guide or primer on the emerging oil and gas industry. It would also become a quick reference material for non-technical stakeholders to be able to contribute meaningfully to the development of regulating policies.

The publications, "Ghana's Emerging Petroleum Industry: What Stakeholders Need to Know" and "An Illustrated Glossary of Selected Oil and Gas Terminologies" were prepared by the Kumasi Institute of Technology and Environment (KITE), on behalf of OGSN, as part of OGSRAP. Mr Edjekumhene who is also the Director of KITE, said the first publication contained simple questions such as "Who is the new kid on the bloc?, Who owns the Petroleum Resource in the Jubilee Field?, How many barrels and cubic feet of gas is to be produced?, How is the revenue from the oil and gas shared and how much revenue can potentially accrue from the Jubilee Field?".

He explained that the questions were carefully posed to either address a growing misconception or perception or draw attention to internationally accepted best-practices worth adopting or adapting in Ghana. The publications also presented basic facts such as how much revenue was expected from the Jubilee Field as projected by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank during the next 19 years. Mr. Edjekumhene said it was important to clear the public's perception on how much jobs would be created in order to regulate huge investments in education and training and gave the assurance that the publications would soon be reduced into simplified leaflets and, if possible, translated into some local languages for wider dissemination and readership. He thanked the Ghana Research and Advocacy Programme (G-RAP), the World Bank and Centre for Development Partnership Civil Grant Fund for financing the publications.

Mr John Yaw A. Appiah, Director, Ministry of Energy, said government would ensure sound policies, regulatory measures and other necessary preparations for the Oil and Gas Industry to operate efficiently for the benefit of all stakeholders.

He said government would welcome and encourage various ideas by stakeholders and organisations to help educate the public on the technicalities of the oil and gas sector and keep abreast with other developments in the petroleum sector. Mr Appiah commended the management of OGSRAP for the initiative and recommended the publications for wider public dissemination. 24 March 10