Ghana's Energy Sector, Oil and Gas News
STAR-Ghana holds Oil and Gas Thematic Convention
The Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Mr. Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah will on Monday open a two-day Oil and Gas thematic Convention in Takoardi to help stakeholders identify emerging issues and opportunities for engagements to build a win-win relationship. among all stakeholders.
The Convention is under the theme: “Strengthening Stakeholder collaborations to maximize benefits from Ghana’s oil and gas resources” and is organised by STAR-Ghana and its partners.
A statement issued by STAR-Ghana on Friday said the forum will create a platform for Civil Society Organisations, parliament, media, state and non-state actors to interact and share information on national policy issues related to the oil and gas industry.
Additionally, the convention will provide an opportunity for participants to identify priority actions and spaces for stakeholder collaborations from the community through to the national level.
According to the Programme Manager of STAR-Ghana, Mr. Ibrahim–Tanko Amidu, “building and strengthening spaces for dialogue and collaboration among stakeholders is key to ensuring that the Oil and gas sector works for the development of Ghana.”
He said such a dialogue is necessary to ensure that the voices and issues of all sections of the nation are considered in making and implementing policies which will help prevent conflicts, build the foundations for equity and accountability in utilising the resource and enable synergy between the sector and other sectors of the economy.
STAR-Ghana is currently implementing an Oil and Gas Call under the theme, “Promoting Transparency and Accountability in the Oil and Gas Industry in Ghana: The Role of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Other Non-State Actors”.
So far, 16 civil society and community based organisations have received grants and technical support to undertake various advocacy initiatives aimed at promoting transparency and accountability in the Oil and Gas Sector in Ghana.
The statement said while CSOs and other institutions work on these issues, it has become very crucial to achieve synergy and complementarities to ensure that the sector contributes positively to national development. “In the light of this, STAR-Ghana seeks to create opportunities for increased stakeholder dialogue and collaborations using its annual thematic conventions.
“The Convention will bring together over 100 participants drawn from STAR-Ghana’s Oil and Gas Grant Partners; the Parliamentary Select Committee on Energy and Mines; the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum; relevant projects & programmes in the Oil &Gas sector; Other civil society organisations working in the Oil &Gas sector; the Jubilee Partners District Assemblies; the media and other relevant oil and gas sector stakeholders,” the statement said.