Members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) are fighting the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) led government for taking credit for the recent Akoma and Eban-1X oil discoveries.
The NPP, led by its Minority members in Parliament, is claiming credit for recent oil discoveries. According to them, the Akoma and Eban-1X oil discoveries were made under the previous Akufo-Addo administration.
Addressing some members of the Parliamentary Press Corps (PPC) at a press conference on behalf of the Minority caucus, Member of Parliament for Afigya Kwabre North Constituency in the Ashanti region and Ranking Member on Parliament’s Energy Committee, Mr. Collins Adomako-Mensah, forcefully emphasized that the Akoma and Eban-1X oil discoveries were made in 2019 and 2021, respectively, during the tenure of former President Nana Ado Dankwa Akufo-Addo
The Afigya Kwabre North lawmaker further explained that ENI Ghana, operator of the Cape Three Points (CTP) Block 4, issued formal notices of discovery to the then Ministry of Energy, the Petroleum Commission, and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) in accordance with the petroleum agreement.
“ENI, as required by the CTP Block 4 Petroleum Agreement, formerly issued two separate notices of discovery to the then Ministry of Energy, the Petroleum Commission, and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation. These discoveries were also announced or published by sections of the Ghanaian media,” Mr. Adomako-Mensah claimed.
The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Energy Committee expressed deep worry over what he described as a deliberate effort by the current government to claim credit for discoveries it had no role in.
“The Minority wonders how the Mahama administration, which had nothing to do with the drilling of the Akoma and Eban exploration wells as well as approval of the appraisal programme of the two discoveries, will all of a sudden claim that the results of an Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration-approved appraisal programme that are a result of commerciality are a credit to it.
Under Ghana’s petroleum regime, the responsibility of reporting the outcomes of approved appraisal programmes lies with the contractor or operator, not the government.
In Ghana’s upstream petroleum industry, it is the contract or operator that has to inform the state of the outcome of any approved appraisal programme. That is what ENI did recently,” he emphasized.
Mr. Adomako-Mensah further accused the Mahama-led administration of using the announcement for political gain.
“The Mahama administration, for self-serving purposes, has sought to covet this normal reporting to a funfair whose cause is attributable to it, even though it is barely seven months in office,” he retorted.