Kweku Baako schools ‘ignorant’ Nzema Chief on Ghana Gas

Editor-In-Chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has schooled Chief of Akropong in the Ellembelle District, Nana Adu Kwame on how Ghana Gas Company came about.

The Chief at the weekend hailed Former President John Dramani Mahama for his vision of establishing the Ghana Gas Company Limited at Atuabo in the Nzemaland of the Western Region adding that but for him the project would not have existed.

Nana Adu Kwame said the chiefs and people of Nzema will therefore forever be indebted to the John Mahama administration for putting the Ghana Gas infrastructure on their land.

“What I want to say is that in time past what your party did for us we appreciate but for you we would not have had Ghana Gas on our soil. You did it for us and today we are seeing a lot of things. You added ENI the other day I met some”, he disclosed during a courtesy call on Paramount Chief of Eastern Nzema Awulai Amihere Kpanyinli III in his Palace as part of a two day thank you tour of the Western Region.

But in a sharp rebuttal, the veteran journalist in a post sighted by this portal catalogued the contributions of successive governments before the final implementation of the project which the chief gives credit to only the former President.

First point: would there have been the need for Gas Plants (Ghana Gas) without the discovery of oil and gas in commercial quantities? Second point: Prior to the advent of the Mills Administration, the Jubilee Partners, GNPC and the Government of Ghana had outlined the road map for the implementation of the Gas Commercialization Plan as contained in the Jubilee Phase One Plan of Development (POD).

GNPC had already signed a MoU with Samsung C & T Corporation for Samsung to source financing and implement the project on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) basis! Gas Infrastructure was expected to be ready at the time of first oil. The Mills Administration initially committed to pursuing the inherited plans but subsequently reviewed its stance especially in terms of the sources of financing for the project. They opted for the Chinese option and also changed the location from Domunli to Atuabo.The delay resulted in gas being flared post first oil which wasn’t the intention or policy in the first place. It is undeniable that the Gas Infrastructure Project was initiated and completed between 2011 and late 2015 spanning the period of both the Mills and Mahama Administrations. However, the “vision” or conceptualization including some preliminary initiatives/actions pre-dated the advent of both Administrations! This is the factual sequence of events leading to the construction of the Atuabo Gas Infrastructure and the attendant birth of the Ghana Gas Company!