Ghana�s Oil Is A Curse � Fishermen Cry

SOME FISHER folks in the Western Region have described Ghana�s oil find in that region as a curse. According to them, ever since the discovery of the �black gold,� their environment and livelihoods had been greatly affected. �Some fishermen I had a meeting with said at the moment they see the discovery of oil as a curse because it has greatly affected their livelihoods and their environment�, Nana Kobina Nketsia, Omanhene of the Essikadu Traditional Area, noted. He indicated that the hope most people in the Western Region had in the oil find had been replaced with resentment because they were yet to experience its benefits. �Most of these people were expecting that it would have brought shared prosperity in terms of job creation, but unfortunately they have seen none of that�, Nana Nketsia added. He was speaking at the opening of a two-day National Stakeholders Conference on Oil and Gas organized by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Accra. The theme for the conference was �What it takes to make Ghana�s oil and gas resource a blessing to Ghana.� Speaking on the topic �Community Expectation from Oil and Gas Industry�, Nana Nketsia noted that the TUC had always been known �to fight for the underdogs and for the sovereign control of asserts.� He therefore charged them to endeavour to propagate patriotism and concern for the country�s resources. In his address, Kofi Asamoah, Secretary General of TUC, also stated that the TUC recognized that averting the curse of oil and gas required a continuous dialogue on policy and monitoring. He stated that the TUC had therefore actively engaged in the policy dialogue on oil and gas in Ghana through submission of inputs to the parliament of Ghana for consideration into the Revenue Management Bill and the Production and Exploration Bill. �The TUC has made its views on oil and gas known to government through submission of inputs to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and Parliament of Ghana for consideration into the annual Budget Statement and Economic Policy, as well as through press conferences and press release,� Mr. Asamoah noted. The aim of the conference was to explore the best ways to make Ghana�s oil and gas resources a blessing to Ghana.