President John Dramani Mahama has laid to rest the controversy over two major projects in the Volta region.
The president appears to have debunked claims by various government communicators and party officials, particularly those in the region, that feasibility studies and surveys had been completed along the Keta coast for a harbour and oil exploration.
He made the disclosure in Ho during an interview with Volta Star Radio, a local station of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) as part of his five-day campaign tour of the Volta Region.
Oil Exploration Controversy
Myjoyonline reported in April, this year that the President, at a durbar of the Awomefia of the Anlo State, Torgbui Sri III and his people, announced that an agreement for the start of onshore oil and gas exploration in the Keta Basin of the Volta Region had been reached.
To this end, a Swiss African Oil Company, a subsidiary of Swiss African Petroleum AG and PET Volta Investments, had been awarded the exploration and production license for a new oil block. He is reported to have said “Before Parliament rose, it approved the exploration agreement and so it opens the way for the company to begin oil and gas exploration.”
However, answering a question on oil exploration in the Keta area, the President explained that “GNPC is going through procurement to get an international partner to get Volta Basin Survey started. We do believe strongly that there is something there. Work will start as soon as the partner is chosen.”
He said the GNPC would choose the most technically suited international partner.
The President added that “they will be drilling test pits or test holes to check the existence of oil before they take samples for testing. We need to keep our fingers crossed.”
The GNPC, on its website, also indicates that “GNPC is pioneering exploration activities in the basin under a 5-year initial exploration programme from 2015–2019 called the Volta Basin Project (VBP). The main objective of the project is to prospect and enhance knowledge on the Volta Basin.
The Keta Basin is part of the larger Volta Basin, which includes onshore areas stretching up to the northern parts of the country. It is the biggest area in Ghana, occupying one-third of landmass of the whole country.
Keta Harbour
Touching on the Keta Harbour, the president debunked earlier claims made by the Volta Regional Chairman of the NDC, John Kwadwo Gyapong that feasibility studies had been done and work on the port would start soon at a recent press conference.
“People have talked about the harbour. Before you can build a harbour, you need feasibility studies. There is no feasibility study done. And so we have put it in our manifesto that we are going to commence the feasibility for a deep sea port, and so that commitments have been made.”
It is unclear why the information on the two projects has been scanty.
Unfortunately for the President and governing party (NDC), this seems to have broken the hearts many residents of the Volta region, referred to as the ‘World Bank’ of the NDC.
From Fred Duodu, Ho (freduoo@gmail.com)