According to the Minority, Mahama has successfully steered Ghana into the gas era with the completion of the biggest gas-to-power projects that have today eliminated the long LPG queues and given Ghana the cheap fuel needed to power our thermal plants.
In a statement issued by John Abdulai Jinapor, the Ranking Member on the Mines and Energy Committee said Mahama took the bold and decisive action of settling the protracted Maritime boundary dispute with the Republic of Cote D’Ivoire through the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), saving the country an estimated $10 billion in petroleum assets.
His reactions come after the Ministry of Energy has taken a swipe at Mahama for accusing the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of greed which he said has resulted in the redundancy of the TENs and the Sankofa Gye Nyame Fields.
Responding to Mahama’s accusations, the Public Affairs Unit of the Ministry in a 17-point press statement said it is untrue that the former President’s administration produced substantial oil from the two oil fields which have now been run down by the Nana Addo administration.
The Ministry said the successes and fields and subsequent oil lifting that Mahama sought to take credit for were all started by former president John Agyekum Kufuor and the NPP.
Earlier, Mahama accused the government led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of their lack of efforts aimed at increasing the country’s oil production in the upstream sector over the last seven years.
He said greed and ineptitude against national interest have engulfed the current government which has resulted in the lack of development in the oil and gas sector.
In a Twitter post on February 6, 2023, Mahama described the development as ‘wasted years’ despite his [NDC] administration handing over two new oil fields [TEN and Sankofa].
He said “Wasted years! We bequeathed to the Akufo-Addo gov’t two new oil fields, TEN and Sankofa. Greed and ineptitude as against national interest mean a sad reality of no additional production activity in our upstream oil sector in the last 7 years.”
The Minority on their part said in the quest to transform Ghana into a major petroleum exploration and production hub for the West African sub-region, Mahama provided a very conducive environment for potential investors by implementing well-thought-out policies with the requisite legal and regulatory framework in the upstream petroleum sector.
Jinapor listed some prudent policies implemented under the Mahama-led government that resulted in investor confidence in the upstream sector soaring, with the attraction of huge investments such as the signing of the Springfield and the second ENI petroleum agreements, which resulted in major oil discoveries for the country.
He said Mahama passed the Petroleum Exploration and Production Bill (Act 919) in 2016. The new Act replaced the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Law, 1984, Act 84, bringing about greater transparency and prudent management of Ghana’s oil and gas resources.
He stated that Mahama ensured the passage of the local content and local participation regulations LI 2204, to ensure the maximization of Ghanaian participation in the upstream sector. Today, under the Akufo-Addo Government, Ghanaians who were empowered are being hounded out of business.
According to him, Mahama ensured that Cabinet approved the Gas Master Plan in 2016, a strategic document to address infrastructure gaps and delivery requirements in the gas industry.
He also supervised the establishment of the Ghana National Gas Company and ensured that the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant with a capacity of 150mmscf/d was constructed and commissioned and the establishment of the Petroleum Commission as the regulator in the upstream sector.
Jinapor added that sadly, the Petroleum Commission has become a pale shadow of itself under Akuffo-Addo/Bawumia and the NPP government.
Source: https://www.pulse.com.gh/