Min sets up probe into GNPC

The Ministry of Energy has set up a committee to probe the operations of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) according to 'The Ghanaian Times' a state own daily. The three-member committee comprising Professor Andrew Addae, National Project Co-ordinator of the International Atomic Energy Commission as chairman, Mr Joseph Kweku Atta Wiredu, a Management Consultant, and Mr Godfried Kesse, a geologist, as members has one month to submit its report.

Mr Kan Dapaah, Minister of Energy, charged the members to study the law establishing GNPC and come out with recommendations that would help restructure the corporation to focus on its core business of exploring for hydrocarbon. He said, "The government is not pleased with reports on the operations of GNPC. Some of these will have to be investigated, especially some of the contractual agreements." Mr Dapaah said that GNPC had over the years divested into non-core business activities, thus losing focus of its fundamental role in the energy sector.

"The search for hydrocarbon is important and there must be an institution to do that."

He urged the committee to "identify all assets of GNPC and recommend ways to dispose of those that are non-core related and no longer needed".