"Your cries have not fallen on deaf ears", Prez assures W/R Chiefs

President John Atta Mills

The Western Region will be given pride of place in efforts to develop the nation, especially after the beginning of commercial production of oil in the Jubilee Field on Wednesday December 15, 2010, President John Evans Atta Mills has declared.

Speaking at a grand durbar at the Takoradi Airforce Base after he turned the valve to signify the official commencement of commercial oil production in Ghana, President Mills said the Region will see massive infrastructural development in the next few months, not just because the region deserves it, but a proper infrastructure base will be crucial to maximizing the benefits of the oil and gas industry.

There was major controversy in the run up to the long anticipated pumping of oil, with Chiefs in the region demanding that Parliament and the Mills government make good the Vice President’s campaign pledge that an NDC government would allocate 10% of oil revenues to the region. However, some sections of the populace as well as the Finance Committee of the House have rejected the demand, citing issues of national coherence.

In seeming response to this demand, President Mills assured the Chiefs and people of the region, “Your entreaties have not fallen on deaf ears,” and urged them to prepare themselves for the opportunities that will arise out of the project.

Acknowledging that Ghanaians “have every right to enjoy, and celebrate”, the President nevertheless charged those in leadership positions to remember that their actions and/or inactions will make the oil find a blessing or a curse.

“Those of us living now are trustees for future generations.”

He pledged his government’s commitment to using the oil revenues judiciously for the benefit of the entire nation. “We will not let you down. We will make sure that as Ghanaians, we all enjoy the benefits of this resource.”

President Mills charged the Jubilee partners to adhere strictly to the tenets of the law on local content which requires that a percentage of all employees are Ghanaian. In its turn, government will maintain a stable environment to ensure that the partners achieve a reasonable return on their investment.

President Mills paid glowing tribute to his predecessors, Presidents Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuor – who were both present at the ceremony – for pursuing the dream of discovering oil for the country while in office.

The Jubilee Field will produce an initial 55,000 barrels of oil per day, but with the development of more wells, production is expected to hit 120,000 barrels per day.

Aluminium and petrochemical industries are expected to develop in the wake of the oil production.
Fertilizer production, to propel the agric and agro processing subsectors, is also expected to take off. As well, an Iron and steel project is in the works.

source: citifmonline.com