Ghana’s oil could erode
democratic accountability
Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghanadot
Accra, Feb 26, Ghanadot - The much anticipated onset
of Ghana ’s oil wealth in 2010 and beyond could erode democratic
accountability and institutions in the country.
Already, incipient tensions are
on the rise in the Western Region, where fishing communities are concerned about
continued access to the ocean’s resources and district assemblies are jockeying
for a prime position as the “most affected” area.
Civil society groups have also expressed concerned that key information
about the impact of the oil industry was not
being disclosed, while some important policy discussions were made behind closed
doors.
In addition to this, the promised broad and inclusive process for the
development of a fundamental policy and master plan for the oil and gas sector
had been more closed than open to the Ghanaian public.
At the launch of the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) and Oxfam
America report entitled ‘Ghana’s big test: Oil’s challenge to democratic
development’ in Accra, Mr. Ian Gary, A Senior Policy Advisor on Extractive
Industries of Oxfam America stressed that the needed institutions, regulations,
and transparency measures should be in place early to avoid the corrosive and
corrupting effects of oil booms seen elsewhere in Africa.
As the Jubilee field is in development process, the government does need to move
at deliberative speed to be able to bring the necessary
administrative process on line to manage this large project.
At the same time, Mr. Ian Gary claimed, Ghana needed
to be careful to control the pace of the development of the petroleum sector to
avoid letting commercial developments outstrip the capacity of the government
and society as a whole to meet the challenges ahead.
He said, Ghana should also set its own timetable for the further development of the petroleum
and that by moving too quick, the country could make mistakes that could decrease its
chance to productively manage the resource..
For instance, Mr. Ian Gary explained, the government would need to sequence tasks in developing the
laws, regulations and institutions for the sector over time
rather than negotiating many
deals at once. In the go slow approach, the government
would be able to learn from experience and
be able at the same time to negotiate better
deals over time.
Civic participationm he said, would
take time to mature but in the long run would yield benefits
to the entire country
through better policy decisions and greater ownership
of these decisions, he said.
On transparency, Mr. Gary called on the government and Ghana National Petroleum
Corporation (GNPC) to provide regular publication of all material on oil and gas
payments received as well as making all disclosed information free of charge and
available on government Web sites.
The government should enact a moratorium on new exploration licenses to allow
Ghana ’s legal and regulatory framework development process to catch up with the
well-known best practices. This would ensure that the oil wealth benefit the
people of Ghana .
Instructively, Ghana ’s petroleum activity has been concentrated offshore; there
are nonetheless important social and environmental issues to be addressed.
To this end, the country’s environmental laws and regulations will need to be
reviewed and expanded to address the petroleum sector.
Ghanadot
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has no experience and expertise
with the environmental impacts of offshore oil and gas development, will need
significant support to perform its important role. And the government will need
to work hard to avoid conflicts between the petroleum industry and fishing
communities in the offshore oil zones.
Ghandot
