Twenty-nine [29] Civil Society Organizations [CSOs] have called for the immediate dismissal of GNPC CEO Opoku Ahweneeh Danquah and Board Chairman Freddie Blay.
The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC), the Imani Centre for Policy and Education, and 25 other civil society organizations accuse the two individuals of acting against the state’s interests.
The demand for their removal follows GNPC’s decision to sell a 50% investment in Jubilee Holdings Limited (JOHL) to PetroSA, despite the state’s large earnings potential from this holding.
In a news conference on Tuesday, May 23, the Coalition’s Coordinator, Abdul Karim Mohammed, stated that the continued presence of these persons, who are closely involved with petroleum activities, posed serious hazards to Ghana’s interests.
Mr Mohammed explained that the Energy Minister, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh is against a decision by the Board Chairman of GNPC, Mr Blay for offering interest in Ghana’s oil fields to a South African oil company, Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa (PetroSA).
Mr Blay in his capacity as the GNPC Board Chairman is said to have written to PetroSA offering it an equal split in the interest held by GNPC’s subsidiary Jubilee Oil Holdings Ltd.
“It is a viable field, and it is giving us a lot of money if we allow this to go forward. What it means is that PetroSa will be entitled to 50 percent of the earnings from the field, whereas they have not had any role in developing the field to the point where it is now viable.
“The information we have is that the Minister for Energy has objected to this transaction but the Chairman of GNPC Board is pushing this transaction to the extent that the Minister of Energy had written to the Jubilee House over this transaction.”
Freddie Blay’s Reaction
Board Chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and former chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, has brushed aside the accusations and demands by some 29 Civil Society Organisations calling for his resignation.
This comes after the GNPC’s intention to sell a 50% stake in Jubilee Holdings Limited (JOHL) to PetroSA.
Mr. Blay stated that he had done nothing wrong in the deal to warrant his resignation.
In an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, he insisted that he has a clear conscience regarding the sale of the shares and will only resign if the president, who appointed him, no longer wants to work with him.
“Possibly, I could be fired, but I don’t see any reason why they are saying I should resign about this issue. I have done nothing wrong. I have observed my conscience and I thought I was protecting the interest of the country, and I am convinced about it and if others think otherwise and if those who appointed me are saying otherwise, then so be it.”
He also revealed that he has had conversations with President Akufo-Addo regarding the issue.
“I have spoken to the president about it, and we haven’t gotten to where he will ask for his job back. It is not about convincing the president, the law will speak for itself and the law will talk and there are few documents on the agreement.”
