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Sunday, August 29, 2010

Mad Rush for Land

In anticipation of a surge in commercial activities when Ghana commences oil and gas production in commercial quantities, there is a mad rush for acquisition of land in the Ahanta Municipality, where most of the activities relating to the extraction will take place. The lands which are being acquired in large tracts with some exceeding 1600 acres have resulted in a situation where people are being deprived of their livelihoods.
?How would the youth of a given community who are between the ages of 8 and 15 today feel when they turn 20, have completed school and realize that they have no lands on which to farm on because they have been sold to third parties who are benefiting from them? What would be their reaction when they realize that although they could be employed, others not from their communities have taken their place and their generated wealth goes to support other areas outside their community?? He asked.

To ensure security, Dr Anning proposed that community interest s and concerns should be factored into the design and implementation of the proposed oil and gas bill.

He also called for intensification in educating the public on the expected revenue from the oil and gas to avert their anger especially, the frontline communities whose daily activities will be directly affected by the oil and gas extraction.

Following the announcement of the oil discovery in 2007, hopes and expectations have been varied and high among the public with some expecting that their situation will change overnight. This anticipation was heightened by politicians, especially, during the 2008 elections with the politicians making a tall list of promises to the people including jobs, money, infrastructure and various industries. However, to the experts until the oil revenue starts pouring in it is premature to have such hopes.

To avoid conflicts among traditional rulers as to who has jurisdiction over the oil and gas, the security analyst said, government must come clear and state its position on the matter and rope in the chiefs in its consultations. He said the people must also be educated on their roles as they can play monitoring roles, especially in pollution of the sea by the oil companies.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee, who chaired the session, noted that if the expectation of the public is not well managed it could lead to disillusionment and eventually public anger.

?We expect everything to be done because we have oil, but the most important thing is that we are able to build legacies that outlive the oil,? she philosophized.

She therefore called on the various agencies working on the oil sector to make public their work for the public to also to make their inputs

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