NDC rolls out oil management blueprint

Accra, Aug. 21, GNA - The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Thursday rolled out its Oil Management Blue Print (OMBP) to ensure that Ghana's oil discovery becomes a blessing instead of a curse. The measures, which include the oil investment portfolio, revitalized petroleum policy, a legal and contractual framework, a good governance structure and a social impact management, were spelt out at a press conference in Accra organized by the NDC Parliamentary Caucus. The rest are establishment of an effective fiscal administration system, prudent revenue management system and human resources development plan.

The press conference was attended by leading NDC MPs, national executive officers and supporters.

Dr. Kwame Ampofo, an energy expert, said the blueprint would also focus on protecting the environment, human health, adopting measures against liability for environmental damages and re-use of oil residue, rather than wasting it.

He said the blueprint was also to employ oil management procedure to ensure that used oil, which was hazardous in nature, was not mishandled by the people.

"Peoples' health can be affected if used oil is handled improperly, and as a human centred government we will not allow our people to be endangered in any way." This plan provides a written description of used oil management procedures, disposal methods and transportation requirements.

Dr. Ampofo, who is the NDC MP for South Dayi, said the people of Ghana can trust the NDC with the nation's natural resources and other strategic assets.

The former Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy cautioned Ghanaians against "oil discovery politics of deceit," engaged in by the government and leading members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The NDC accused the government of mismanaging the energy sector. "On one occasion, 66,200 Ghana cedis out of the Energy Fund was spent by the then Chief Executive Officer of the Energy Commission; on another occasion hundreds of thousands of dollars out of the Exploration Fund was used to pay for the forensic audit into the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, not for oil exploration," Dr. Ampofo noted. He claimed that the Government had supervised the bankruptcy of the Volta River Authority (VRA), which had 800 million dollars indebtedness and Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) indebted to the tune of over 500 million dollars in spite of the TOR Debt Recovery levy.

Dr Ampofo said the government should account for the TOR Debt Recovery Levy and indicate "how much has been generated, how much has been used to defray TOR's debt, and how much is left". The NDC therefore urged the government to commit itself to protecting national interests. 21 Aug. 08