Ghana Gas denies $500 million pipeline story

The Ghana Gas Company has denied media reports that Ghana is building a 180-mile gas pipeline from Aboadze in the Western Region to Tema at a cost of $500 million.

This denial follows a report in the Friday October 14 edition of the New Statesman that the Chief Executive Officer for the Ghana Gas Company, Dr Sipa Yankey, recently committed Ghana to building a 180-mile (290km) gas pipeline from Aboadze to Tema at a cost of $500 million.

The paper went further to say that “this means we (Ghana) are paying $2.8 million for every mile of pipeline constructed” while “the United States of America is building a similar pipeline from its Midcontinent to the Texas Gulf Coast at $1.2 billion”, adding: “This means, what rich America can build at $211,000 a mile, poorer Ghana chooses to do at more than ten times the cost.”

But speaking in connection with this publication on Asempa FM’s afternoon show, Ekosii Sen, on Friday October 14, Alfred Ogbamey, the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Gas Company, said the report was false, and the figures contained in the story were speculative.

Mr Obgamey said: “The report is an incompetent report. The figures mentioned are purely speculative figures they may have got from somewhere. Although we have signed an implementation agreement, the actual cost is yet to be determined and that will be in November.

“Ghana has not signed any agreement worth $500 million. I know that most reporters have problems with arithmetic but those of this reporter are worse. His own calculation in the report is even wrong and that makes it an incompetent report.”

He wondered why the newspaper never bothered to crosscheck from Ghana Gas before proceeding to publish the story.