Gas Shortage Is Indicative Of NDCs Short-sighted Managerial Outlook - AFAG

Pro-Democracy civil society group, the Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) says the current Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) shortage that has hit the nation is indicative of the short-sighted managerial outlook and ad hoc problem-solving technique of the Mills-Mahama administration... ...when it comes to challenges facing the nation as in the case of gas supplies for domestic and industrial use. In a statement issued today after a press conference in Accra, AFAG said the gas shortage situation has all the marks of institutional and administrative weakness and inefficiencies, and demanded an immediate and urgent explanation to the debacle and the underlining steps being taken by Government whether medium or long term measure to ensure a lasting solution. Below is the full statement issued by the Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG). Businesses And Ghanaians Under Stress As A Result Of The Gas Shortage: Ghanaians Need Answers The Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) finds the current gas shortage and its persistent nature very worrisome. It is indicative of the short-sighted managerial outlook and ad hoc problem-solving technique of the Government when it comes to challenges facing the nation as in the case of gas supplies for domestic and industrial use. News of Gas shortage has been a common phenomenon since the first quarter of 2009. AFAG and Ghanaians ask; when is the government putting in place a comprehensive programme to solve this problem which has all the marks of institutional and administrative weakness and inefficiencies? Ghanaians are already saddled with the heavy burden of economic stagnation and the unfulfilled promises from the Atta-Mills/ John Mahama led NDC government. As if the betrayal of the social contract from the �the better Ghana agenda� and the so called �the action year� are not enough. The last time AFAG checked, there is no turbulence in the international oil and Gas market. Neither is there any industrial action from various ministries and agencies responsible for gas importation, storage and delivery. The usual excuses from government to the effect that, usage or demand has risen, only go to prove governments� ad hoc approach to solving real challenges facing Ghanaians. Opening up separate terminals for commercial users would not solve the problem. The basic challenge is an issue of supply and insufficient storage facilities. So far, the government has refused to solve the basic challenge, which is the issue of inadequate storage facility. OUR RESPONSE President Atta-Mills on a number of occasions has said that, the NDC are in Government, �to improve the life of the ordinary Ghanaian�, we are on this note stating that with the gas shortages since 2009, it�s obvious that the life of the ordinary Ghanaian is being made worse. It should also be on record that Gas as a by- product of crude oil is more or less an added revenue commodity to the Government as Ghanaian through our purchase of fuel pay taxes. So the argument of Government making a loss in their quest to meet the increasing demand by boosting their supply is not quite accurate. On the other hand, it is important for the government not to give false hope to Ghanaians with the arrival of 1,500 Metric cubic tons of gas. This is against the backdrop that, our daily consumption of gas is 1,000 Metric cubic tons. By this, the expected gas delivery would only last for one and half days. AFAG demands of an immediate and urgent explanation to this gas shortage debacle and the underlining steps taken by Government whether medium or long term measure geared towards a lasting solution. There is now no doubt that the Minister for Energy has failed to respond to this shortage. What has the Minister been doing for these past nine (9) months? It is obvious the Minister has failed to respond to the problem. Is it an issue of the inability of the government to raise letters of Credit (LCs) or the lack of storage capacity? The consistent inconsistencies being displayed by the NDC government in the management of the petroleum sector is a demonstration of their incompetence. Labor experts have estimated that the cost of lost Man Hours as a result of the shortage of Gas runs into Millions of Ghana Cedis, in that, today we have Doctors, civil and public servants, teachers, Market women, farmers etc. leaving their post in search of LPG. There is no doubt, after nine months, the NDC government has no lasting solution insight. What has happened to the gas infrastructure programme? Has government abandoned it? Like a friend of AFAG said on Facebook, �Tullow Oil and co spent millions of dollars to construct the FPSO Kwame Nkrumah to refine their share of the crude oil from the Jubilee field. A proactive government should have also considered/thought of/planned building a Gas Refinery in the Western Region to refine the residual gas that comes with the crude drilling�.