Stop searching for oil – GNPC board chair

There are reports that Mr. Felix Addo, Board Chairman of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), is blocking Voltaian Basin Project from being rolled out.

Mr. Felix Addo is reported to have directed management that since the FPSO Kwame Nkrumah is not producing to capacity, GNPC is in no position to finance the search for oil and gas deposits.

Staff and stakeholders unhappy with this development have expressed their displeasure on the move by Mr. Addo to freeze and reverse what has been described as a “deep thinking investment decisions” initiated by Mr. Ato Ahwoi - former Board Chairman of the Corporation.

Ghanapoliticsonline.com reports that some power brokers of the organization are irked and frustrated by Mr Addo’s recent unilateral decision, and have warned of a showdown if the decision is not reversed.

Exploratory works at the Voltaian Basin, according to Ghanapoliticsonline.com, was to help the country solely drill its first onshore oil and gas deposits, and provide immeasurable job opportunities for Ghanaian youth.

To the surprise of GNPC engineers working on the project, the Chairman insists the Voltaian Basin Project be put on hold despite the millions of dollars that GNPC has already committed to the search for petro-carbon deposits in the project.

Even President John Dramani Mahama in his recent visit to the Volta Region, as part of his “Accounting to the People Tour” went promising the Chiefs and people of the region, that there is an impending economic boom, soon as the Voltaian Basin Project strikes oil.

Mr. Felix Addo is expected to once again bulldoze his way to stopping the Voltaian Basin project at the next GNPC board meeting, expected to take place today Thursday, 26th May, 2016.

This decision, Ghanapoliticsonline.com reports, will rock the bad side of the GNPC staff, some of whom, from all indications are prepared to join forces with some aggrieved management members to protest.

The Chairman’s argument that GNPC is broke has been flatly rejected by the staff as documents available to Ghanapoliticsonline.com make an interesting read, when you compare them to the arguments made by Mr. Felix Addo.

An angry staff member who pleaded for strict anonymity said, “First of all, we didn’t expect our Head of Operations to be nodding his head when the ‘Johnny-just-come’ is trying to make nonsense of all the sacrifices we have made all this while.

"He has been with us from day one when this strategic plan was drawn, so how come he is sheepishly following this man. Well, if that is how he wants it, we are all here. We shall see”.