Some chiefs and elders of Jomoro during the forum
The Ministry of Energy has announced it is working on acquiring some 32,000 hectares of land in the Jomoro Municipality of the Western Region for the development of a petroleum hub for Ghana.
The ministry recently held a consultative forum for some affected persons and farmers as well as stakeholders in the municipality.
The meeting discussed plans the government had for the chiefs and people of the area including the payment of compensation and measures put in place to maintain their livelihood.
The project, expected to provide over 700,000 jobs to people in the catchment areas of Nzema and the entire country, would refine petroleum products for the consumption of the Ghana market, the sub region, the African continent and the world as a whole.
Dr. Eric Yeboah, Technical Advisor for the Petroleum Hub Development, said the need to get the land was very critical from day one.
He said surveyors were working on the other communities, accessing the land and accessing the crops to pave way for the payment of the compensation.
“So we are fashioning out modalities for the payment of adequate land and crop compensation to forestall any litigation and pave way for the smooth take-off of the project,” he said.
“Surveyors had started mapping and planning the designated area for the project,” he added.
He said the Petroleum Hub, which was the biggest project in the oil and gas sector in the sub-region, would among other things retool the economy to help actualize the Ghana beyond Aid Agenda.
Dr. Yeboah indicated that the project was being developed in three phases and that each phase was expected to take three to four years.
“Under Phase one, we expect to develop a refinery, a petrochemical plant to help the processing of fertilizer and other related matters and develop hundreds of tank farms,” he stressed.
A Consultant from the ‘Go Straight Real Estate Development Consult’, Kakraba Ampeh, told the people that the land management consultants would ensure that landowners and farmers got the exact compensation for their land and crops.
Nana Kroah Bleh IV, Chief of Enzulebo, encouraged the government to pursue and complete the project to create jobs for the youth in the area.
“We the traditional leaders are ready to give the necessary support to the contractors and the government for the completion of the project as scheduled,” he stressed.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi