USE OIL AND GAS REVENUE TO DEV GHANA (PAGE 20, FEB 26, 2010)

PARTICIPANTS at a forum on petroleum revenue management in the Upper East Region have called on the government to provide for the socio-economic development of the people with revenue from the emerging oil and gas industry.
Speaking at a forum at Bolgatanga, a cross section of the participants listed some of the development challenges of the northern parts of the country as high incidence of poverty, as well as lack of employment for the youth, non-existent of a vibrant market to facilitate economic activities and lack of educational infrastructure.
He said it was about time the government invested the expected revenue to bridge the development gap between northern and southern Ghana.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning organised the forum to collate views from the public on how the expected revenue from the emerging oil and gas industry should be utilised for the benefit of Ghanaians.
The participants, including chiefs, students, civil and public servants, representatives of civil society organisations, among others also called on the government to put in place the needed structures to facilitate the effective use of the expected resources.
An advisor at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Joe Amoako Tuffour, said the emerging oil and gas industry came along with various opportunities, adding that the government was committed to ensure that the expected revenue was properly harnessed for both present and future generations.
He said the decision to hold public fora across the country, formed part of the government’s efforts at collating views from Ghanaians to ensure that everyone benefited from the oil and gas revenue.
The Deputy Regional Minister, Mrs Lucy Awuni earlier in a welcome address, said the government would ensure that revenue from the oil and gas industry was properly harnessed, hence the need for all Ghanaians to take keen interest in the series of regional consultation fora to influence the final decisions that would be arrived at.