<<Print>>

The Paramount Chief of the Nzema East Traditional Area, Awulai Amihere Kpanyile has said the lawsuit filed against the Atuabo Freeport project will hinder employment opportunities. Five New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament (MPs) are praying the Sekondi High Court to remove the restriction imposed on the expansion of the Takoradi Port by government. Parliament in July, 2014 approved an agreement between the government of Ghana and a British company for the development of an oil and gas Freeport in the Western Region. A clause in the agreement according to the five MPs bars the Takoradi Port from further expansion until the Freeport is built and the company, Lonrho, recovers its cost. This therefore, informed their decision to go to court. On Eyewitness News on Thursday, Awulai Amihere Kpanyile pointed out that the development of the Nzema area will be stalled if the case is allowed to proceed in court. �We are talking about the development of Nzema and the Western Region; a project that is supposed to be bringing employment to the people of western Nzema, Western Region and the whole Ghana,� he lamented. According to him, the NPP MPs are being inconsiderate to the developmental needs of the area since such a law suit has the potential of driving away investors. He questioned the last time the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) employed residents adding that �we need major projects that can employ people.� Awulai Amihere Kpanyile was highly convinced �policymakers understood this law; the Attorney General understood this law before they went through Parliament.� He challenged the NPP lawmakers to allow the project to proceed without any interference because �we want people to be employed.� He also wondered why the MPs allowed the agreement to be endorsed by Parliament saying , �if they are coming to tell us that they did not see this coming and this time, five people want to go to court to stop a project that is coming to our area, then we want to question that.�