SIAKON MEDIA

Accra, March 9, GNA - The Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), on Tuesday assured the public that it was working hard to repair a leakage that was detected on its sixth Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) pipeline, leading to the suspension of the discharge of the product over the weekend.

It said personnel of the refinery were currently working around the clock to quickly restore the pipeline for discharge and onward distribution of LPG to the market.

A statement signed by Ms Aba Lokko, Public Affairs Manager, TOR, said the company acknowledged the present shortage of LPG on the market, but attributed the situation to some technical difficulties resulting from the fire outbreak on January 19, 2010.

It noted that the incident also coincided with a major maintenance being carried out on the Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracker (RFCC) Unit.

The statement explained that subsequently, the refinery had been depending on imported finished products to serve the market.

It said it was in the process of discharging one such cargo of 5,000 metric tonnes of LPG, which arrived over the weekend through an arrangement by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) from the Oil Jetty to the refinery.

The statement said TOR sincerely regrets the situation and any inconvenience that it might had caused.

GNA

BP to neutralize the Americans

The clash of interests comes in the wake of a reported global decline of oil production. A study conducted by the U.K. Energy Research Centre and published about a fortnight ago has indicated that global production of oil could peak and decline by 2020.

The report notes that already, 10 of the largest oil producing fields in the world are all on decline. It suggests that the era of cheap oil will soon be over. But experts say, this is valid in so far as new fields are not discovered in the foreseeable future.

It is against this backdrop and the persistent turbulence in the Gulf region that there seem to be so much interest in Kosmos's stake in the Jubilee Field. On Friday October 16, 2009 Public Agenda reported an alleged deal between Kosmos and Exxon Mobil over the former's sale of its stake in Jubilee. The deal is reported to have infuriated GNPC, which has earlier in the year expressed interest in buying out Kosmos.

Sources close to GNPC have described Kosmos' behaviour as recalcitrant and selfish.

"They have misbehaved and are now resorting to tricks to cover their misdeeds", said a source at GNPC. Kosmos' alleged share-trading deal with Exxon Mobil, was described by Ghanaian officials as having no effect. The move by the Texas-based company was clearly intended to hype the value of its stake and use that in its subsequent negotiation with the Ghanaian government.

Kosmos again has been accused by GNPC as showing bad faith by disclosing vital technical and financial data to third parties without the express consent of its partners in the Jubilee Field, including GNPC, an act for which GNPC is bent on exacting its pound of flesh.

Suspicion is rife in Government circles that Kosmos must have mis-conducted itself in its business activities in respect of the Jubilee Field and could possibly be providing cover for some top officials of the previous government over share acquisition. The suspicion is in respect of the EO Group which holds a 3% stake in Kosmos, now slashed to less than 2%. Public Agenda is conducting further investigation into the affair and will bring readers updates in due course.

Ghana's desire to increase its stake in the Jubilee Field aims at making the country an active player in the exploitation of its hydrocarbon potential. Under a presidential directive, GNPC has acquired an additional 3% optional stake in Jubilee, bringing GNPC's total interest in the project to 13%.

Kosmos' decision to exit out of the project presents an opportunity for Ghana to increase its interest in it. The plan according to Government sources is to acquire Kosmos' shares, trade them for a profit, and use the profit margin to finance additional interest for GNPC.
Realising that it was losing ground to the Chinese, who have made generous overtures to the Ghanaian Government and are willing to go beyond helping GNPC to finance its purchase of Kosmos' stake to providing some budgetary support to Ghana, Exxon Mobil has made a U-turn on its alleged deal with Kosmos and is now courting GNPC for the coveted shares.

Experts believe that a Chinese deal might not be helpful for the timely delivery of Ghana's first oil, as the Chinese company, China National Offshore Oil Company lacks expertise in deep water operations.

The Government of Ghana seems to appreciate this fact and plans therefore to allocate Kosmos' shares between British Petroleum (BP) and CNOOC. BP has a great deal of expertise in deep water operations and is seen as less over-bearing and easier to deal with, compared to Exxon Mobil. GNPC sources say Government will want to retain part of the shares, to be financed from its profit from the transaction.

According to a Transparency International report on Oil companies and revenue transparency published in 2008, CNOOC has not fared very well in its adherence to the principles of transparency and public accountability. The report finds that CNOOC is among oil companies which do not sufficiently report on their payments to governments where they operate.

In fact, the Chinese are notorious also for their bad labour relations and wanton disregard for environmental protection norms. But some development analysts believe Chinese aid is what Ghana needs at this time, as it does not encroach on national policy-making space. As for the environmental and human rights concerns, it is argued that we will have to strengthen our laws and institutions to deal with them.

Author: Steve Manteaw/Public Agenda

SHEA INDUSTRY NEEDS ATTENTION, NOW!

The Ghana Trade and Livelihoods Coalition (GTLC) recently launched a report in Accra titled, "Unleashing the Shea potential - A baseline data analysis", which paints a promising but neglected picture of the Shea industry.

According to Ibrahim Akalbila of the coalition, government has over the years not paid the needed attention to the industry which has the potential of improving the livelihoods of particularly northern women who engage in the highly labour intensive work of picking and processing the wild nuts.

Meanwhile, the Shea nut has long helped many Ghanaian families.

The cholesterol- free fat in the nut is an edible one and has been used in many Ghanaian dishes since time immemorial. It is said to be responsible for why chocolate from many parts of the world, except Ghana, feels soft and melts easily in the mouth.

It is a good protector of the human skin against the harmatan in particular. The cosmetic industry globally has also found a good ingredient in it. As such, its demand on the international market, although not as much as cocoa, is on the increase.

The GTLC, thus, believes the Shea industry could become a major source of foreign exchange earner for Ghana even as it sustains many families.

It has therefore proposed that "government's role and interest in the development of the Shea sector should be properly defined. Targets for the research, production and marketing may then be set based on a well defined role."

This is exactly where Public Agenda's concern lies. The paper deems it proper that government sets the agenda for the transformation of the Shea nut industry, from a highly labour intensive but less rewarding business it has been for women to a more viable one.

Like the GTLC has noted, there is the need for a comprehensive policy that will capture all the concerns of the industry towards ensuring the attainment of its full potential.

In line with this, Public Agenda supports the establishment of a separate board for the Shea industry with the needed resources so that those in the industry will also see better results like their counterparts in the cocoa sector.

The Savannah Accelerated Development Authority introduced by government is a laudable initiative. But the objectives set under the authority will be achieved only when special attention is paid to the traditional means of livelihoods of the people in the catchment area. In so doing, the Shea industry is one of the key areas that need such attention.


Author: from the Editor/Public Agenda