Minister Urges Volta Resettlement Board, VRA To Settle Differences

The Minister of Energy and Petroleum has urged members of the reconstituted Volta River Resettlement Fund Managing Trustees and Management of Volta River Authority to endeavor to iron out their differences to guarantee the success of the fund which was set up in the early 1960s to cushion communities forced to relocate by the lake formation of the Volta River Project. Hon Armah-Kofi Buah who swore in the fifteen-member Board consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, VRA, GIMPA and Members of Parliament in the catchment areas of the Volta River Project, also urged them to work cooperatively as a team and try to come to a consensus whenever there are differences. He further commented on past differences between former Trustees and VRA and urged the board to prioritize the resolution of these differences. He pledged the Ministry�s continuous support to the board. Ing. Andrew Bafuor, Project Coordinator of GEDAP at Ministry of Energy and Petroleum and Chairman of the Fund Managing Trustees on behalf of the other trustees thanked the President for the opportunity granted them to serve as Trustees of the Volta River Resettlement Fund. Ing Bafuor further indicated that the current challenges inhibiting the smooth operationalization of the fund are: the devaluation of the fund over the years, a revision of the laid down criteria for compensation payment and the harassment of resettled persons by chiefs and people of host communities under the pretext of lack of compensation payments. He therefore assured the Minister that the Board will work assiduously to resolve the challenges. Other Managing Trustees of the Resettlement Fund include Ing. Stephen Doku, Director of Power, MOEP, Mr Maxwell Odoom, Dep Chief Executive, VRA, Mr Winfred Amenu, Legal Counsel, VRA and Mrs. Gloria Appoh, Administrative Officer, GIMPA.