Petroleum Ministry presents policy goals to NDPC

The Ministries of Petroleum and Power have presented a report on the state of fuel and energy consumption in the country and the vision of the sectors in the long term.

The sectors presented these matters during a policy consultation organized by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) to find out what the sectors were doing as part of their core mission.

Representatives of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) including the Petroleum Commission, National Petroleum Authority, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, Ghana National Gas Company, Tema Oil Refinery, Bulk Oil Storage and Transport, Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company Limited and Ghana Oil Company Limited participated in the meeting.

Mr Joseph Ben Okai, Director of Policy and Planning, Ministry of Petroleum, making a presentation on petroleum production and consumption, said the sector has policy goals and strategies that guide their operations.

He said they have a goal of creating an enabling environment for sustainable activities in the upstream and downstream oil and gas sector.

Mr Okai said ensuring accelerated and integrated development of the oil and gas industry; maximizing local content and participation in all aspects of the petroleum industry value chain; and ensuring adequate availability of petroleum products in the Ghanaian market were part of the policy goals and strategies of the sector.

He said the sector proposes to ensure the development of the needed institutional and human resource capacity for the petroleum sector; ensure transparency in the management of petroleum resources and ensure security for oil and gas installations and operations in the upstream, midstream and downstream.

“As a ministry, we also wish to find a mainstream gender fixed into the petroleum sector where there would be gender equity in the oil and gas industry and where women can get the platform to participate in the formulation and implementation of petroleum policies and interventions”, he said.

The Director said the sector has a policy goal of harmonizing sector institutions, policies and legislation to align with the mandate of the new ministry.

Professor Kwesi Botchwey, Chairman of NDPC, said the Commission launched the plan; conducted regional consultations with stakeholders; and are currently undergoing a technical and policy consultation to get a better view of the policy terrain.

Prof Botchwey said: “What are the MDAs doing, what are their ongoing plans and what are their long term plans to ensure that they are properly aligned with the vision of the long term plans?

“We are in this energy crisis because we didn’t plan ahead and we want to avoid a repetition of these problems by anticipating population growth, expansion of industries, demand and supply trajectory so that we can put together the infrastructure that we need to breach this gap”, he added.

The Chairman later told the GNA in an interview that, the consultation would help to consider institutional and regulatory arrangements as well as the financing that needs to be put in place to ensure that the plan is properly supported.

He said it will help to incorporate the ideas and plan of the ministries into the plan in order to remedy the weaknesses in their vision.