President Akufo-Addo being assisted by Awulae Annor- Adjaye III to cut the sod
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday cut the sod for the construction of a major naval facility—Forward Operating Base—at Ezinlebo in the Jomoro District of the Western Region.
When completed, the on-shore project being constructed by Messrs Amandi—an Israeli company—would enable the Ghana Navy to respond swiftly to threats to the oil and gas fields in record time, among other maritime security operations.
It will include a breakwater and a jetty with a double lane tarred road, berthing facilities and accommodation for 150 military personnel.
President Akufo-Addo commended the Minister for Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, for bringing life to the project which he said had been lying on the drawing board since Ghana commenced oil and gas exploration in commercial quantities.
“The oil and gas sector is witnessing continuous growth, offering jobs and sustainable livelihoods for many Ghanaians,” he pointed out.
He said more offshore explorations and discoveries were being made with a daily production rate rising from 80,000 barrels per day to over 200,000 barrels per day, a figure expected to double to some 400,000 in the next four years.
The huge capital investment in the sector comes with security challenges, adding that “today, piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea continue to pose significant threats to national and regional maritime activities, including the operations of the facilities of the offshore oil and gas sector.”
Criminal activities like illegal oil bunkering, kidnapping at sea for ransom, illegal fishing, terrorism and drug trafficking are some of the common security challenges on Ghana’s territorial waters.
More forward operating bases, he announced, are planned at selected locations along the coast for effective security, saying places like Keta in the Volta Region, Winneba and Elmina in the Central Region and Ezinlebo are going to benefit.
As part of the project, the government has contracted Hulk Will Company Limited to supply 6 phantom boats and provide other equipment to enhance the operational efficiency of the base.
When completed, the base will serve as an advanced military operational location from where the security of our offshore oil fields termed Sankofa and Jubilee can be co-ordinated and maintained.
The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, described the region as the chicken that laid the golden egg and a key contributor to Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), adding that minerals such as gold, manganese, bauxite, rubber, cocoa, coffee and oil and gas are produced in the region. He, therefore, called on prospective investors to invest in the region.
Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul said the Ghana Armed Forces continues to benefit from the current government in the area of enhancement of their capabilities.
“Mr. President, comparing the first three years of the previous and the current one, your government has performed far better in terms of resources to the Ghana Armed Forces. Your second term will see more investments in the Army, the Navy and the Air Force to get them well equipped to confront the modern day security challenges,” he said with optimism.
Awulae Annor Adjaye III, Omanhene of Western Nzema Traditional Area, appealed to the President to fix the deplorable roads in the area to ensure accelerated development.
From Linda Tenyah-Ayettey and Emmanuel Opoku, Ezinlebu