Workshop for Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy

Mr. Cletus Avoka, a member of the Presidential Task Force on Priority Projects, on Monday said the government has envisioned Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) as a mechanism to drive the socio-economic development of the nation

He said this would help move, particularly, the natural resource sector forward.

He was opening a two-day Induction and Work Planning Workshop organized by STAR-Ghana for members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy at Busua, in the Ahanta West District.

Mr. Avoka said, as a result of this vision, contractual agreements between government and the private sector would be brought before Parliament for approval.

He said the workshop is to equip members of the select committee with skills and knowledge to enable them to effectively scrutinize and propose amendments to agreements brought before the House.

Mr. Avoka said any lapses in the capacity of members of the committee would undermine the responsibility entrusted to Parliament and also jeopardize the future of the country.

He said, it is a step in the right direction that members of the select committee are being sensitized on revenue management in the oil and gas and mining sectors.

Mr. Avoka said the oil and gas industry is a dynamic sector in terms of policy directions and technology, and that, it is necessary for members of the Select Committee to be abreast with new developments in the sector in order to offer the best policy directions and legal frameworks.

Mr. Kwabena Donkor, Chairman of the Select Committee, said the workshop would assist members of the committee to offer effective oversight in the oil and gas and mining sectors.

He said oil and gas have enormous potential for the nation’s development, and called on the people, and Parliament to monitor revenue from the oil and gas sector and ensure that the revenue is properly utilized.

He said Ghana has great potential in gas and could be a major exporter of it, and even open the way for the establishment of fertilizer manufacturing plants to support the agriculture sector, adding that, it could also generate cheap power for bauxite and iron mining.