The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Minority says the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC)-GENSER agreement requires an urgent review to ensure a level playing field for all industry players and transparency in gas pricing.
It said the agreement raised concerns that could not be overlooked, including issues of transparency, a statement signed by Mr. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Deputy Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Ellembele, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said on Wednesday.
The call for a thorough review of the agreement was premised on grounds that it combined the Gas Sales Agreement and the Gas Transmission Agreement (GTA), which did not ensure transparency in gas pricing.
The statement said shifting of the agreement from the Ghana Gas Company and its signing by the GNPC when Ghana Gas was supposed to be the gas transmission utility also raised concerns.
It cited the discount given to GENSER by the GNPC for the GTA and GNPC’s inability to explain satisfactorily how that discount would be recovered.
“We appreciate the timely intervention by the Right Honourable Speaker to rope in the Finance Committee to jointly work with the Mines and Energy Committee to deal with these outstanding issues to ensure that Ghana is not shortchanged,” it said.
“The Minority believes that the issues are now properly before Parliament and requires the actual thorough work to begin. It is, therefore, unfortunate that the Chairman of the Mines and Energy Committee went public with the work done by the Energy Committee when a new referral is pending,” the statement said.
“On behalf of the Minority colleagues on the joint committee of Finance and Mines and Energy, we pledge to unravel all the flaws in the agreement to ensure value for money”.
The Minority would do so on a firm conviction that the heart and soul of Ghana’s future, its energy security and all the critical issues around it, including transparent gas pricing, it said.
“I have personally dedicated my political career towards building a sound energy security for our country, since I had the opportunity to serve on Ghana’s first-ever gas task force as Deputy Energy Minister under President John Evans Atta Mills, that led to the formation of Ghana Gas and the gas infrastructure…”
“And supervised the historic construction of ENIs OCTP gas-power project as Energy Minister under President John Mahama; projects that have transformed Ghana’s energy sector.”
“This is a record I intend to jealously protect.”
The Minority Group was committed to upholding the interests of the people of Ghana and believes that they must strike the right balance between private enterprise and social benefit.
“The Minority would want to assure Ghanaians that we will not compromise the trust reposed in us by the people.”
It called on the chairmen of the Finance and Energy committees to immediately convey a meeting to consider the Speaker’s referral.