Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Minister-designate for Western Region
Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the Minister-designate for Western Region, has called on oil and gas companies operating in the country to consider establishing their headquarters in the region since most of their operations are based there.
The Minister-designate said this could help in developing the region and also create more employment for the youth.
Answering series of questions at his vetting when he faced the Appointments Committee of Parliament, the Takoradi MP noted that setting up of these offices will ensure that residents of the Western Region will benefit from the oil and gas value chain through job creation among others.
“I still believe that the oil companies should start looking at setting up their headquarters in the Western Region so that more people can have direct engagement with their headquarters and be able to be a part of the value chain so that they can participate more in the oil and gas industry,” he stated.
He further stated that “my major challenge is that when it comes to the oil and gas business, it seems that everything seems to be centred in Accra and I believe that is one area we have to relook.”
Mr Darko-Mensah said the initiative will help grow local businesses in the region and the country’s economy at large.
“I believe that if we want ‘local-local’ to happen, the more you leave it in Accra, it becomes difficult for local people especially for Western Region to participate,” he added.
He also indicated that indigenes have benefited from educational programmes by the oil and gas companies in the region even though it does not have headquarters in the region.
“Irrespective of that there has been a number of training programmes that have gone on in the Western Region area and I believe that people still have the capacity to participate,” he said.
