A former Energy and Petroleum Minister under the erstwhile John Mahama administration, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah says the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is poised to transform the country’s energy sector should it be elected in the upcoming December 7 election.
At an event, dubbed ‘The Energy Manifesto Town Hall’ organized by the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) and its partners on Monday, Mr. Buah disclosed that the NDC will also prioritize both the upstream and downstream of Ghana’s petroleum industry.
Explaining why the NDC should be trusted with the mandate to revamp the two sectors, Mr. Buah who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Ellembelle in the Western Region recounted some initiatives undertaken by the party whilst in power to ensure increased availability of petroleum products and enhanced security of supply of these products.
He further outlined the plans of the NDC in their next term as follows:
a. Ensure value addition to our petroleum resources.
b. Reposition the Tema Oil Refinery to process our own crude oil.
c. Restore BOST to its core mandate of holding a national strategic stock in order to cushion the erratic price increases associated with the absence of fuel stock in the country.
d. Expand the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant to meet the national demands for gas-related product especially LPG.
e. Aggressively promote LPG use as preferred clean cooking fuel with expanded local manufacturing of cylinders.
f. Revert to the use of Landing Beach Committees for pre-mix fuel distribution and management to ensure transparency.
g. Prioritise the use of our oil and gas resources to propel accelerated economic growth, job creation and rapid industrialisation.
h. Set ghana on the path to achieving production of one million barrels of oil per day (1mbpd) by 2030.
i. Adopt policies and programmes that will ensure that all Ghanaians derive maximum benefits from our petroleum resources.
j. Restore investor confidence and ensure transparency in the sector.
k. Ensure strict adherence to the provisions of the petroleum sector regulations and laws.
l. Make the allocation of the exploration and production rights transparent and commercially effective as envisioned in ACT 919.
The program is to enable the two main political parties to breakdown their 2020 manifesto promises in the energy sector at two separate town hall meetings.
Already, the NDC in its manifesto is promising to “aggressively develop, modernize and expand petroleum products delivery infrastructure” and “expand thermal and renewable power generation to match growth demand” among others.
On Friday, November 6, 2020, at 3 pm the NPP will take their turn to justify their manifesto promises on energy before the industry expert audience, selected media and the public at the CBOD’s Energy Manifesto Town Hall.
The Deputy Energy Minister in charge of petroleum, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam will represent the NPP.
The NPP will defend their manifesto promises to end dumsor, reduce electricity tariffs to households and industry and improve transparency in the management of oil and gas among others.
Partners for the event include, the Ghana Upstream Petroleum Chamber, Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMCs), Chamber of Independent Power Producers, Distributors and Bulk Consumers (CIPDiB), Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC). Africa Center for Energy Policy (ACEP) and the Public Interest Accountability Committee (PIAC).