What is the fate of Ghana Gas workers – IMANI boss asks
- peterkyei
- Dec 14, 2014
- 2 min read
The President of IMANI Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe has questioned what the fate of the workers of Ghana Gas Company would be, when the takeover by the Ghana National Petroleum Authority (GNPC) is complete.
He noted that in such takeovers, workers most often than not, are laid off and they suffer the consequences. Mr. Cudjoe has therefore asked the government to seriously consider the welfare of the Ghana Gas workers.
“What hurts me really is that what is the fate of the workers? Have they had all these discussions…?” he asked on Citi FM’s The Big Issue on Saturday.
Mr. Cudjoe indicated that Ghana Gas has world class workers whose expertise must not be allowed to “go to waste.”
It is unclear yet whether workers at the GNGC would be subsumed into the GNPC structure after the takeover.
Barely a month after the Finance Minister announced in Parliament that the GNPC will take over operations of Ghana Gas Company; the Energy Minister announced that the takeover was complete.
But in quick response, the Board Chairman of Ghana Gas, Dr. Kwesi Botchwey discounted the Energy Minister’s claims by stating that due process has not been followed.
Although industry players have endorsed the takeover move, many have questioned the haste with which the government is carrying out the exercise.
According to the IMANI boss, good corporate governance procedures were not followed, hence, the seeming confusion between Ghana Gas and the Energy Ministry.
He insisted that “even if it [Ghana Gas] was formed out of nothing, there was a legal process and it is important that to de-exist an entity that was created legally, you needed to follow due process.”
He said the time intervals of three weeks between the announcement and the supposed completion of the takeover is worrying.
“Who does these important matters within three weeks? The fact that there have been some challenges with the gas project and the fact that many people have said that it shouldn’t have existed from the beginning doesn’t mean that in trying to liquidate it, it is done hastily.”
IMANI Ghana’s Franklin Cudjoe also advised that Ghanaians and industry players should be concerned about the credibility of the GNPC.
A pressure group, Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas, has blamed the hasty takeover of Ghana Gas Company (GNGC) by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) on the $700 million loan the corporation intends to secure.
He said: “I will be more worried with GNPC because GNPC as we all know has not shown credibility especially when it comes to the usage of public funds. Their capacity to spend has been called into question. They usually will do things when they shouldn’t be doing and we all know that.”
“Now that they are assuming what they should have assumed already, we should also be interested in how they manage funds.” He added.
Source: Citifmonline.com
By: Efua Idan Osam
