The committee members
Petroleum permits, authorizations and agreements between government and oil and gas companies will soon become public with the launch of the public register in the petroleum sector.
The register, expected to be launched early next year, is in accordance with Section 56 of the Petroleum (Exploration and Production Law (Act 919, 2016).
Government is determined to promote transparency and information disclosure in the petroleum sector.
“It is our expectation that the register will not only complement the activities under the Oil and Gas Capacity Building Project (OGCBP) but also serve as an important reference source for information,” said Deputy Minister of Energy in-charge of Petroleum, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam.
He disclosed this while speaking at the launch of the Independent Oil and Gas Information Resource Centre (iogirc) in Accra.
He said the move by government would lead to an increase in petroleum activities, local service providers and personnel, thereby increasing the information needs of the public and industry stakeholders.
“This underscores the importance of the Centre, as it will fill in the information gap, which could create suspicion in the minds of people and threaten the survival of oil industries in some countries,” he said.
IOGIRC
The centre, established two years ago, under the $58 million World Bank-financed OGCBP to provide physical and soft infrastructure for building an oil industry for the benefit of Ghanaians, will provide relevant information on activities in the oil and gas sector.
Alexander Kyei, Coordinator of the OGCBP, in an introduction of the centre, said the project has made investments in the country’s oil industry.
He said the centre will operate as an interactive space for information, as well as keep all stakeholders abreast with technical, strategic and commercial issues that affect the oil and gas industry.
The centre has been mandated to provide both online and offline channels.
A steering committee to run the affairs of the center was also inaugurated at the event.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri