Toflekpo Ada demands apology from Energy Minister

Toflekpo-Ada (GAR), July 5, GNA - The People of Ada Toflekpo in the Dangme East District of the Greater Accra Region on Thursday demanded an unqualified apology from Mr. Kofi Adda, Minister of Energy, for a statement he made in Parliament, which they claim, portrayed salt as an unimportant commodity to the national economy.

"We the people of Dangme East District, wish to state categorically that the decision by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to go into exploration of this natural resource of the area was meant to improve the economy of this country and the living conditions of our people," Mr Tetteh Kwabla Akuako, a spokesperson, said in a statement he read at a press conference at Toflekpo-Ada.

"You will recall that on Tuesday June 19, 2007, the Minister of Energy, Mr Joseph Kofi Adda, in making a statement in Parliament on the recent discovery of oil, passed sarcastic comments and sought to demonstrate in a manner which portrayed salt as an unimportant commodity."

He said the people in the area considered the Minister's utterances and demonstration on the floor of Parliament as an affront and very offensive to their sensibilities and expressed their disappointment at the way government had handled the discovery of oil, which was "nothing new".

Mr Akuako noted that petro-chemical industry relied on salt as a vital component in the processing of petroleum products.

"If what the Minister did on the floor of Parliament is what government's position is, then, we consider the president's initiative (on salt) as one of throwing dust into the eyes of Ghanaians and particularly the people in this area."

Mr. Akuako advised the NPP government to reconsider the value of salt to the people of the area and the economy as a whole. "If well-managed, this sector alone can play the lead role in taking this country to the level of middle income status since the entire West Africa sub-region is (a big) market for salt."