Norwegian oil and gas company Aker BP recorded an increase in its quarterly profit as its total income went over $1 billion lifted by record high production.
Aker BP said on Tuesday that, for the first time, the company’s quarterly total income had exceeded one billion dollars, driven by record high production following the successful start-up of the Johan Sverdrup field, combined with continued strong performance from other fields.
Aker BP reported total income of $1.003 billion for the fourth quarter of 2019 compared to $916 million in the same period of 2018.
Overall, the company reported a net profit of $112 million for the quarter compared to a profit of $63 million in 4Q 2018.
The company’s net production in the fourth quarter was 191.1 thousand barrels of oil equivalents per day (mboepd), an increase when compared to 4Q 2018 and production of 155.7 mboepd.
The main contribution to the increase in volumes was the start-up of production from the Johan Sverdrup field in October. Average realized liquids price was $64.2 ($67.8 in 4Q 2018) per barrel oil equivalents (boe), while the realized price for natural gas averaged $0.17 per standard cubic meter (scm) ($0.30 scm in 4Q 2018).
For 2020, the company expects production of 205-220 mboepd and capex of about $1.5 billion.
In related news, Aker BP also on Tuesday said it had strengthened its position in the Skarv offshore areanby swapping its interest in two licenses for an interest and operatorship in license which holds the Shrek discovery, near the Skarv field.
Total is expanding its partnership with Adani Group, India’s largest privately-owned energy and infrastructure conglomerate, in order to contribute to the growth of solar power generation in the country.
The Indian government has a strong policy to support renewable energy growth. The country’s capacity should increase from its 81 gigawatts (GW) in 2019 to 225GW by 2022.
Total and Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL) will create a 50/50 joint venture into which AGEL will transfer its solar assets in operation.
These projects are spread over 11 Indian states and have a cumulative capacity of over 2GW. All the projects benefit from nearly 25-year power purchase agreements (PPA) with national and regional electricity distributors, with a fixed rate.
“Total is fully engaged in the energy transition and to supporting India, a key country in the fight against climate change, in diversifying its energy mix through partnerships in natural gas and now in solar energy,” Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman & CEO of Total said.
“This interest in over 2GW of solar projects represents another big step of our investment in India’s energy sector. It will support our ambition to contribute to the deployment of 25GW of renewable capacities by 2025. We are thrilled to extend the partnership with the Adani Group to renewable energies, which will allow us to benefit from its in-depth knowledge of the Indian electricity market.”
This transaction has a value of approximately $500 million and is in line with the Group’s objective of double-digit returns on renewable projects. It remains subject to the approval of the relevant authorities.
Total integrates climate change into its strategy and is staying ahead of new energy market trends by building a portfolio of low-carbon businesses that could account for 15 to 20% of its sales by 2040. Total’s gross low-carbon power generation capacity worldwide is currently close to 7 gigawatts, of which over 3 gigawatts from renewable energies.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com/esi-africa.com
The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, is calling on the Nigerian government to review the privatisation of the country’s power sector.
According to local media Vanguard, Senator Lawan said: “I think the privatisation has not worked. It has failed because the essence of privatisation is to create efficiency.”
It is reported that the Senate was addressing the Executive Committee of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria ((MAN) in Abuja.
“It appears most of the companies, the DISCOs (Distribution Companies), have no sufficient capital and probably the same thing with the GENCOs (Generation Companies),” he noted.
Lawan acknowledged that the efforts of the government were out of desperation to create a better situation for the privatised sector. However, as a result, the government “gave out a lot of money to the companies”.
He said: “I think the time has come for the government to take a very drastic but necessary decision. If we have privatised the DISCOs and the GENCOs, I think, the private sector, those who have taken them [the companies] over, should be able to make them work better than they were before.
“If they cannot, I think we need to revisit this privatisation because we cannot go on like that. We should look at the larger interest of Nigerians, not of those companies that have taken over the power sector – the DISCOs and the GENCOs.
“We are going to support the executive arm of government… We will suggest that going forward we have to revisit the privatisation because apparently the companies are not able to provide the power that we thought they could by now.”
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
The government of Ghana has settled in full the US$1bn legacy debts the West African nation owed members of the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD).
The final payment of the legacy debt was made on 13th January, 2020.
In all, a total of US$1.003 billion including interest has been paid by the government.
The amount covered legacy debts covering the period 2012 to 2020.
This was contained in a press statement issued by the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) and copied to energynewsafrica.com.
The statement noted that the payments were executed in the form of ESLA Bonds to Legacy Bonds Limited, an SPV jointly owned by the Ghana Association of bankers and the CBOD for redistribution to beneficiary banks and petroleum service providers.
CBOD mentioned a cash payment of US$444.72 million, Bank of Ghana Bonds of US$219.08 million and ESLA Bonds valued at US$339.28 all totalling US$1.003bn.
The statement said CBOD waived an amount of US$ 432m following government negotiations with them.
It would be recalled that confusion erupted between the government and CBOD over what is the actual amount of legacy debts the government owed members of CBOD.
However, Ernst &Young was appointed to validate all the claims by CBOD.
CBOD commended both the current and the former administrations for the steps they took to ensure a peaceful settlement of the debts.
Click the link below for the full statement:Press Statement
Ghana’s petroleum upstream regulator, Petroleum Commission, is set to meet with the management of Tullow Oil Ghana Ltd next week to discuss issues regarding the latter’s decision to lay off some of its workforce, energynewsafrica.com can report.
“We have scheduled a meeting with management of Tullow next week, and after the meeting, I will be able to let you know the way forward,” a source within the Commission told energynewsafrica.com.Energynewsafrica.com, last week, reported that the Africa focused oil and gas giant, Tullow Oil Plc has planned to cut back its employees in the West African nation, Ghana, by 25 percent.
A source in the company told this portal that top management level is expected to see a 35 percent reduction.
The UK firm has interests in 80 exploration and production licences across 15 countries, which are managed as three Business Teams: West Africa, East Africa and New Ventures.
In Ghana, Tullow Oil operates the country’s Jubilee and TEN fields.
The insider who spoke to energynewsafrica.com said the company’s decision to cut back its workforce is part of an ongoing restructuring of its business due to some challenges in 2019, which impacted negatively on the company’s revenue portfolios.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
The National Chairman of the Pre-mix Fuel Secretariat under the Ministry of Fisheries and Aqua-Culture Development in the Republic of Ghana, West Africa, says the secretariat is seeking the support of the National Security Operatives to clampdown on middlemen who buy the product and hoard and resell it later at exorbitant prices.
There were several reports of pre-mix fuel diversion leading to the NPA banning 14 companies from lifting the product.
However, Mr Edward Patrick Nii Lante Bannerman, who is the National Chairman of the Secretariat, said his outfit had succeeded in eliminating the diversion of the product due to some stringent measures they put in place which made it difficult for the OMCs that lift the product to divert it.
“What we have done so far is that, largely we have been able to eliminate the issues of diversions and issues of shortages of pre-mix for some time now. At least, in the last two years, we have not heard of shortages; we have not heard of diversions. We are making sure that the fuel gets to its intended destinations and the people who are to utilise this fuel get it. The people to use this fuel are the fishers and the transporters,” he said.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with energynewsafrica.com in Accra, he stressed that Ghanaians bear ample evidence that issues of pre-mix diversion and shortage in the country are things of the past.
He said records from the downstream petroleum regulator, National Petroleum Authority (NPA) point to this effect.
“As part of measures to control diversion of pre-mix, we wrote to the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) to give us the opportunity to also monitor the pre-mix trucks in transit right from our offices, which they did. So from November 2017, we have been able to monitor all our pre-mix trucks that are in transit,” he explained.
Additionally, platforms have been created for stakeholders, Regional Ministers, Members of Parliament, MMDCEs and operation officers, among others in the monitoring of the product to evaluate how daily loaded vehicles in transit move and accounted for in the industry.
He said it would be very difficult to divert pre-mix now since “you have to connive with all the above stakeholders before it could done.”
According to him, “The challenge we have now is the hoarding and resale of the pre-mix fuel after it has been delivered at the beach. And that is where the challenge is. And that is where we are looking at getting the National Security Operatives to step in to help us.”
Mr Bannerman told energynewsafrica.com, that his outfit has started engagement with the Regional Ministers, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives who are at places where pre-mix is used to get to the final users.
He said they completed their engagement in the Volta Region last week and would soon go to the other areas.
He was of the view that MMDCEs should ensure that the product gets to the right users to avoid problems in the sector.
He disclosed that the National Pre-mix Committee intends to digitise the sale of the product in future through the use of cards by fishers to prevent hoarding and inflated prices in the industry.
He said that canoes in the lake areas in the country have not been registered, unlike those around the coastal areas.
He, however, promising to do so soon to get all fishers on the digital platform for smooth and effective management of the sector.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has achieved a new world record in electricity Customer Minutes Lost (CML) per year.
DEWA recorded 1.86 minutes, in Dubai, compared to around 15 minutes recorded by leading electricity companies in the European Union.
This is a new addition to DEWA’s record of international achievements in electricity and water services.
“Our strategies and business plans are inspired by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, to provide a robust infrastructure according to the highest international standards. We continuously work to enhance the capacity and efficiency of transmission and distribution networks to provide electricity and water services according to the highest standards of reliability, availability, efficiency, and sustainability. This is to meet the growing demand for energy and water and keep pace with Dubai’s ambitious urban and economic plans. We are proud that DEWA is part of the UAE’s global achievements that are accomplished by Emirati men and women who do their best to provide state-of-the-art services to make Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world,” H.E Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA said.
Al Tayer noted that DEWA adopts the latest technologies for energy production, transmission, and distribution.
DEWA is also building an integrated smart grid, which is a key component of its strategy to develop an advanced infrastructure to support Dubai’s efforts to become a smart and happy city.
The smart grid strategy contains 10 programmes to be completed over the short, medium and long-term by 2035. These include Advanced Metering Infrastructure for Electricity, Advanced Metering Infrastructure for Water, Asset Management, Distribution Automation, Information Technology Infrastructure, Transmission Automation, System Integration, Telecommunications, Big Data and Analytics, and Security.
DEWA’s results surpass major European and American utilities in several indicators.
In 2018, losses from electricity transmission and distribution networks were 3.3% compared to 6-7% in Europe and the USA.
Water network losses were also reduced to 6.5% compared to around 15% in North America.
The UAE, represented by DEWA, ranked first for the third consecutive year in Getting Electricity, as per the World Bank’s Doing Business 2020 report.
The report measures the ease of doing business in 190 economies around the world.
DEWA achieved 100% in all of the Getting Electricity indicators, including procedures required to obtain an electricity connection; the time needed to complete each procedure; costs associated with each criterion; and reliability and transparency of tariffs.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana will continue to work to increase its renewable energy resources in the national grid to fast-track socioeconomic development, the country’s Minister for Energy, John-Peter Amewu has said.
According to him, the Energy Ministry is working with the country’s leading power generation company, Volta River Authority (VRA) to ensure that Ghana builds enough capacity in the area of clean and renewable energy to complement the country’s hydro dams.
The Minister said this during a sod cutting ceremony to start a 17MW solar power project in Kaleo in the Upper West Region, Ghana.
“The 4MWp capacity will be connected to the 34.5kV distribution network at Lawra and the 13MW capacity will be connected to the 161kV transmission system at the GRIDCo substation at Wa. I am happy to mention that the 17MWp solar power project is the perfect complement to the hydro dams at Akosombo and Kpong,” said Amewu, the Minister.
He explained that the project culminated many studies on grid impact assessment and others which have resulted in realising this objective.
“These will enable these dams (Akosombo and Kpong) to store water during the day so as to supply power to the people of Ghana during the evening, when the grid sees its highest peak,” the Energy Minister said.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
US Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette has stated that the novel coronavirus has not had a dramatic effect on energy markets.
However, he noted that the effect on the market could worsen if the virus continues to spread.
“I think the impact has been marginal,” Brouillette said as carried by Reuters.
The oil price slide since the beginning of the year—trigged by the coronavirus epidemic.
The price of a WTI barrel that was trading at $62.70 just one month ago is now trading at $50.45 per barrel—a drop of more than $12 per barrel, or nearly 20%, in just 30 days.
The price of a Brent barrel, trading at $68.91 a month ago, has sunk to $54.52, a drop of over $14 per barrel, or nearly 21%.
And it’s more than just fearful trades.
OPEC, too, feels that the effects have been dramatic enough to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the possibility of deeper or longer production cuts, even as OPEC member Libya is already producing 1 million bpd under its typical amount.
The death toll from the coronavirus has risen to over 638, with all but two of them limited to China. More than 31,000 people have been affected.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Africa focused oil and gas giant, Tullow Oil Plc has planned to cut back its employees in the West African nation, Ghana, by 25 percent.
The top management level is expected to see a 35 percent reduction.
The oil and gas firm also plans to cut back its global workforce by 35 percent this year.
The UK firm has interests in 80 exploration and production licences across 15 countries, which are managed as three Business Teams: West Africa, East Africa and New Ventures.
In Ghana, Tullow Oil operates the country’s Jubilee and TEN fields.
An insider who spoke to energynewsafrica.com, said the company has decided to cut back its workforce in a bid to restructure its business due to some challenges in 2019, which impacted negatively on the company’s revenue portfolios.
“Everywhere, Tullow is present. We are in Kenya, Dublin, Cape Town, London etc all that in total, the cut back is 35 percent. Where I’m not sure is Guyana because that office is very small, and don’t forget we’re currently doing exploratory activities so there is not much work there.”
According to the insider, the company’s value dropped by 30 percent in 2019, hence the need to downsize the workforce in order to remain in business and be able do what it has planned to do this year and beyond.
“Our company lost or its value dropped by 30 percent last year. That is what has caused it the decision to cut back workforce because by losing 30 percent of the value of the business, you lose 30 percent of your potential revenues. This means less money to what you want to do so you cut your coat,” our insider source said.
In December last year, Tullow’s shares fell by 60 percent following announcement by Tullow’s CEO, Mr Paul McDade and Angus McCoss, Exploration Director that they had quit the firm.
More than £1.05bn was wiped off Tullow’s market value, leaving the company reeling, valued at £801.7m.
The company is yet to announce a new CEO after the resignation of Mr Paul McDade.Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana’s leading indigenous oil marketing company, GOIL Company Limited has held its third and final ultimate reward of its ‘Efie ne Fie’ promotion at Cape Coast, with 780 more customers receiving free fuel ranging from GH¢300 to GH¢1,000.
At the third and final reward ceremony, 90 drivers received GH¢1,000 worth of fuel, 250 customers got GH¢500 fuel while 440 customers were rewarded with GH¢300 worth of fuel.
The top five customers who accrued the highest points during the three months of promotion were also given 33inches brand new flat screen television sets each.In all, 2,500 customers across the country benefitted from the ultimate reward scheme during the period of the promotion.
This is in addition to the 773,642 customers who received instant rewards such as airtime, tissue boxes, face-towels, t-shirts, key rings and gift vouchers after buying fuel from any of the over 400 fuel stations in the country.
The Managing Director and Group CEO, Kwame Osei Prempeh, congratulated the drivers for keeping faith with the company, adding that GOIL will always strive to give the best of quality service.
He mentioned that GOIL and the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) have jointly constructed model premix stations in the Central and Western regions to serve the people.
The Board Chairman, Kwamena Bartels, thanked the numerous customers of GOIL who turned up in their numbers to patronize GOIL products during the promotion, urging them to continue to stay with the company and help keep money back in the economy.He noted that the diverse backgrounds of recipients of the reward scheme were an example that GOIL belonged to all Ghanaians.
The recipients were made up of private saloon cars, taxis, trotros, trucks, mini-buses, private SUVs and motor as well as tri-cycles.
Mr. Kwamena Duncan the Central Regional Minister commended GOIL for contributing to stabilizing fuel prices in the country, adding that the company will remain a prized national asset, urging the management and board to continue efforts at expanding the company to create more jobs for the youth.
The Omanhene of the Ogua Traditional Area, Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, who chaired the occasion, commended GOIL for the strides it had made and appealed to Ghanaians to patronize made in Ghana products, as a way of strengthening Ghana’s economy.
The occasion coincided with the official reopening of the modernized Cape Coast by-pass service station which had enhanced services such as a well-stocked and expanded GO CAFÉ, a GO lube centre and an auto service centre.Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
French oil major Total booked an increase in quarterly profit despite a lower price environment as its production grew during the period fuelled by new project start-ups and ramp-ups.
Total’s adjusted net income in 4Q 2019 was $3.2 billion, stable compared to last year thanks to the stable adjusted net operating income of the segments.
Adjusted net income excludes the after-tax inventory effect, special items and the impact of effects of changes in fair value.
Total recorded a net income of $2.6 billion in the fourth quarter 2019 compared to $1.13 billion in the same period of 2018.
Total posted a net income of $11.3 billion in 2019, a 2% decrease compared to 2018.
Total Chairman and CEO, Patrick Pouyanné, said: “The group reported solid fourth quarter 2019 results with cash flow (DACF) of $7.4 billion, an increase of more than 20% compared to the fourth quarter 2018, and adjusted net income stable at $3.2 billion, despite a lower price environment.
Hydrocarbon production was 3,113 thousand barrels of oil equivalent (kboe/d) in the fourth quarter 2019, an increase of 8% compared to last year, due to a 13% increase related to the start-up and ramp-up of new projects, including Yamal LNG in Russia, Egina in Nigeria, Ichthys in Australia, Kaombo in Angola, Culzean in the United Kingdom and Johan Sverdrup in Norway.
This was offset by 3% due to the natural decline of the fields and by 2% due to maintenance and Tyra redevelopment project in Denmark.
The company’s total hydrocarbon production in 2019 was 3,014 kboe/d, an increase of 9% compared to 2018.
According to Total, the environment remains volatile, given the uncertainty about hydrocarbon demand related to the outlook for global economic growth and a context of geopolitical instability.
The group has strong capacity to generate cash flow and, in a $60/b environment, expects to increase it by approximately $1 billion per year starting from 2019.
Spending discipline is maintained and the group continues its cost reduction program with an objective of more than $5 billion in cumulative savings in 2020. Net investments in 2020 should be on the order of $18 billion, and the group will complete its $5 billion asset sale program over the years 2019-2020, with $3 billion already announced.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
The Minority in Parliament in Ghana is accusing the Akufo-Addo administration of attempting to rip off the West African nation by bloating the cost of the 60MW solar power project.
The project is part of the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam project in the Upper East Region in the Republic of Ghana.
The 60MW solar power project is expected to cost the Ghanaian taxpayer US$366 million.
This, the Minority believes is unacceptable and extremely exorbitant.
“We maintain that the cost of the dam is highly inflated and unacceptable when compared to the cost of similar projects within and outside Ghana.”
At a press conference in Accra, the capital of Ghana, which was addressed by the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, the opposition Minority said they vehemently opposed to the outrageous cost of the project, “which, by all standards, has been hugely and unconscionably padded.”
He mentioned some similar projects, their capacity, unit cost and total cost to buttress his point that the US$366 million for a 60MW Hydro Power Dam at Pwalugu was unacceptable and extremely exorbitant.
He cited the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Ugandan Isimba Dam, Zambia’s Kafue Dam and Gilgel Gebe III Dam, which all had their unit cost pegged at US$1 million and the Ghana Bui Dam, which was constructed under the erstwhile former President Kufuor’s administration at a unit cost of US$1.9 million.
“The Pwalugu Dam at 60MW facility, which is expected to cost a whopping US$366 million is unacceptable and extremely exorbitant. What this means is that the unit cost of the Pwalugu Dam is a whopping 6 million dollars per megawatt.”
Touching on what he described as breach in parliamentary, he noted that the 2020 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the government had no budgetary provision for the construction of the Pwalugu Dam.
“Even more interesting is the fact that the necessary approvals had not been secured prior to the sod cutting. The critical question is why the government would hasten to commission a dam project when approval for the contract has not been approved,” he quizzed.
The Minority also questioned why the entire project had been awarded to PowerChina International Group without a Ghanaian participation.
“How come local companies are not involved in a giant project such as this which in the words of the President, is fully funded by the Ghanaian taxpayer? Why is the government not adopting an open competitive process,” he quizzed.
The Minority called on President Akufo-Addo and the Majority side of the House to immediately depart from what they described as unlawful and unfortunate conduct, failing which the Minority shall adopt legitimate processes to save the nation from this unbearable financial loss.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), an energy think tank in the Republic of Ghana, West Africa, has launched Persons With Disability (PWDs) report titled: ‘Enabling the disabled-A mapping report on disability interventions in Ghana’.
The 40-page report looks at the various interventions the West African nation had put in place and the various gaps in these interventions.
Ghana is a signatory to a number of international conventions and has enacted laws and regulations, all aimed at the inclusion of persons with disability in the national development process.
To achieve these goals and ensure PWDs’ inclusions, the report mapped out the various interventions and policies aimed at enhancing the condition of PWDs in Ghana and identify key state and non-state actors to address the challenge of their exclusion in the country’s socio-economic participation as citizens of equal rights.
The research interviewed 81 respondents across the 16 regions in Ghana, covering institutions and organisations having the responsibility to ensure inclusion of people with disabilities.
The result of the mapping study revealed that some interventions implementations to alleviate the plight of PWDs and ensure their inclusion in the country.
The report said, though there are numerous challenges, nothing is being done to support persons with disabilities.
Other key findings showed that in health, no interventions are targeted at pregnant women with disabilities for their access to maternal healthcare, as well as children with disabilities.
Benjamin Boakye, Executive Director of ACEP
Again, the research said while the law provides for physical accessibility to all public spaces including hospitals and other health care centres, the evidence on ground shows that this is not being implemented in several health facilities in Ghana.
In the area of education, it said, while government is operating an inclusive education policy, the implementation had not been as inclusive as would be desired.
Children with disabilities and other developmental challenges still face barriers to accessing inclusive education in Ghana.
The report also said social interventions programmes such as Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) are key interventions implemented by the state, which is aimed at eliminating poverty among the PWDs and providing affordable health care to them respectively.In the area of political participation of PWDs, it found out that the government’s framework and strategies in Disability Mainstreaming in Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) outdoored in 2018, mandates reservation of a percentage of general assembly membership for PWDs, and they are also encouraged to participate in the assemblies by contesting for position during district assembly elections.
Based on the findings found during the research concerning the PWDs, the report proposed timely release of budgetary allocations for intervention programmes.
It also called for people with disabilities to be involved in decision making processes and also properly plan their implementations programmes to help them have equal access to livelihood in the country.
It further recommended that improved research on disability issues and changing of public mindset, as well as discarding stereotype attitude towards PWDs among others, would help them to enjoy better lives.
Commenting on the report, the 2016 presidential candidate of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Ivor Greenstreet, who described the report as timely, commended ACEP for the initiative.
On his part, Mr Ablor Mawutor who represented Ghana’s Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, said the report was timely because it would help the ministry to factor some of the issues raised in the ongoing review of the PWD Act.Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
In all, 2,500 customers across the country benefitted from the ultimate reward scheme during the period of the promotion.
This is in addition to the 773,642 customers who received instant rewards such as airtime, tissue boxes, face-towels, t-shirts, key rings and gift vouchers after buying fuel from any of the over 400 fuel stations in the country.
The Managing Director and Group CEO, Kwame Osei Prempeh, congratulated the drivers for keeping faith with the company, adding that GOIL will always strive to give the best of quality service.
He mentioned that GOIL and the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) have jointly constructed model premix stations in the Central and Western regions to serve the people.
The Board Chairman, Kwamena Bartels, thanked the numerous customers of GOIL who turned up in their numbers to patronize GOIL products during the promotion, urging them to continue to stay with the company and help keep money back in the economy.
He noted that the diverse backgrounds of recipients of the reward scheme were an example that GOIL belonged to all Ghanaians.
The recipients were made up of private saloon cars, taxis, trotros, trucks, mini-buses, private SUVs and motor as well as tri-cycles.
Mr. Kwamena Duncan the Central Regional Minister commended GOIL for contributing to stabilizing fuel prices in the country, adding that the company will remain a prized national asset, urging the management and board to continue efforts at expanding the company to create more jobs for the youth.
The Omanhene of the Ogua Traditional Area, Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, who chaired the occasion, commended GOIL for the strides it had made and appealed to Ghanaians to patronize made in Ghana products, as a way of strengthening Ghana’s economy.
The occasion coincided with the official reopening of the modernized Cape Coast by-pass service station which had enhanced services such as a well-stocked and expanded GO CAFÉ, a GO lube centre and an auto service centre.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
In the area of political participation of PWDs, it found out that the government’s framework and strategies in Disability Mainstreaming in Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) outdoored in 2018, mandates reservation of a percentage of general assembly membership for PWDs, and they are also encouraged to participate in the assemblies by contesting for position during district assembly elections.
Based on the findings found during the research concerning the PWDs, the report proposed timely release of budgetary allocations for intervention programmes.
It also called for people with disabilities to be involved in decision making processes and also properly plan their implementations programmes to help them have equal access to livelihood in the country.
It further recommended that improved research on disability issues and changing of public mindset, as well as discarding stereotype attitude towards PWDs among others, would help them to enjoy better lives.
Commenting on the report, the 2016 presidential candidate of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Ivor Greenstreet, who described the report as timely, commended ACEP for the initiative.
On his part, Mr Ablor Mawutor who represented Ghana’s Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, said the report was timely because it would help the ministry to factor some of the issues raised in the ongoing review of the PWD Act.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com