Oil Communities Want Wider Consultation On EIA

People from Twenty eight communities likely to be affected by oil production in the Western region of Ghana have called for a wider engagement and consultations on the Environmental Impact of the oil production, before production starts. A communique signed by 42 participants drawn from 28 communities, after a two day workshop organized by the Centre for Public Interest Law (CEPIL) and Wacam, with support from the Ghana Research and Advocacy Programme (G-RAP) said �Deliberating on the legal regime, local content and sharing experiences from the mining sector of the economy do hereby declare to government as follows: The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which the Oil companies presented and was purported to have been endorsed by the Chiefs and people of the Ahanta/Nzema Districts (Western Region) is flawed� According to them, the process of consultation was not adequate and transparent as most of the chiefs and people likely to be affected have not had access to the said EIA document. They thus call on Government to ensure that enough education on the impact of the oil extraction is given to the residents in communities likely to be affected by the Oil Production and to intensify dialogue and consultation with the people and the traditional leaders of the oil-rich regions on all matters relating to oil extraction prior to any Extraction activity. Thy also called for, as a matter of urgency, a petroleum and gas law before oil production commence and make the petroleum and gas agreements available for public scrutiny.