The Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, on Friday, 6th August 2021, inaugurated the newly-constituted governing board of the Petroleum Commission at the Ministry.
In his address, he charged the Board to renew its commitment towards local content and local participation in Ghana’s upstream petroleum industry.
He further urged them to deepen efforts aimed at the realisation of President Akufo Addo’s vision of bridging the Ghanaian skills gap in the upstream petroleum industry through the vehicle of the Accelerated Oil and Gas Capacity Programme (AOGC), which is underpinned by the NPP government’s vision of ensuring massive participation of able and willing Ghanaians in Ghana’s developing upstream industry.
He was assured by the Chairman of the new Board, Mr. Stephen Sekyere Abankwa of the right leadership to ensure that Ghana gains from the exploitation of its hydrocarbon resources.
The Minister was confident that this Board will vigorously address the challenges of the Commission and leave a lasting legacy for posterity to emulate, and that they will serve faithfully, honestly, diligently and with utmost integrity to make meaning of the confidence President Akufo Addo has reposed in them.
Petroleum Commission
The Petroleum Commission was established by an Act of Parliament, 2011 (Act 821) as a result of hydrocarbon discoveries in commercial quantities, to regulate and manage the utilisation of petroleum resources and, coordinate the policies in the upstream petroleum sector.
Since energy is vital to the development of a country, it is expected that in the medium to long term, oil and gas would become one of the key drivers of the economy. In the light of this potential, the prudent management of the resource becomes absolutely essential.