Workers in petroleum sector attend seminar on oil and gas

Accra, Aug. 18, GNA - Mr. Emmanuel Armah- Kofi Buah, Deputy Minister of Energy, on Wednesday said Ghana's discovery of oil and gas in commercial quantities had raised the expectations and hopes of many Ghanaians that needed to be managed.

It also implied an acceptance of a challenge to participate in a new kind of work that required different skills, attitudes and knowledge.

Mr. Buah made the observation at a day's seminar organised for the workers of General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union (GTPCWU), under the theme: 93The Petroleum Workers Repositioning Themselves for the Production of Oil and Gas in Ghana" in Accra.

He pledged government's commitment to ensure the discovery was a blessing and not a curse as evidenced in some countries where the discovery had brought about conflicts.

The Deputy Minister of Energy announced that government had instituted new legislations and policies to ensure transparency and accountability in the oil and gas industry.

He said security in the oil and gas industry was of outmost importance to government therefore, a plan to safeguard the industry had been put in place.

Mr. E. A. Mensah, General Secretary of GTPCWU, said the seminar was to provide members an opportunity to learn and exchange ideas on how to collectively and individually support the oil and gas industry.

In addition, it would raise concerns about labour and human rights abuse in the industry and efforts to avoid negative working relationship between employers and employees in the sector.