MP for Afigya Kwabre North, Collins Adomako-Mensah
The Minority in Parliament has stated that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) cannot take credit for recent oil discoveries that, according to them, were made under the previous Akufo-Addo administration.
Collins Adomako-Mensah, Member of Parliament for Afigya Kwabre North and Ranking Member on Parliament’s Energy Committee says the Akoma and Eban-1X oil discoveries were made in 2019 and 2021, respectively, both during former President Nana Akufo-Addo’s tenure.
He made the remarks while addressing a press conference on behalf of the Minority caucus.
The lawmaker indicated that ENI Ghana, operator of the Cape Three Points (CTP) Block 4, issued formal notices of discovery to the then Ministry of Energy, the Petroleum Commission, and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) in accordance with the petroleum agreement.
Adomako-Mensah accused the government of deliberately taking credit for discoveries it had no role in.
“ENI, as required by the CTP Block 4 Petroleum Agreement, formally issued two separate notices of discovery to the then Ministry of Energy, the Petroleum Commission and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation. These discoveries were also announced or published by sections of the Ghanaian media.
“The Minority wonders how the Mahama administration, which had nothing to do with the drilling of the Akoma and Eban exploration wells as well as approval of the appraisal programme of the two discoveries, will all of a sudden claim that the results of an Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration-approved appraisal programme that are a result of commerciality are a credit to it.”
He added that “In Ghana’s upstream petroleum industry, it is a contract or operator that has a duty of informing the state of the outcome of any approved appraisal programme. That is what ENI did recently.”
“The Mahama administration, for self-serving purposes, has sought to covet this normal reporting to a funfair whose cause is attributable to it, even though it is barely seven months in office,” he added.
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