The Manager of the Tema National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Mrs Alice Obeng, has decried the submission of inflated bills by service providers in the metropolis, culminating in debts to the scheme.
She said as of June 2009, the scheme owed service providers over GH¢1million, being payments for the second quarter of the year.
Mrs Obeng was speaking to the Daily Graphic in an interview on the performance of the scheme in the Tema metropolis.
She stated that service providers delayed in submitting bills, and that instead of presenting them on a quarterly basis, they accumulated them without indicating what belonged to a particular period.
Mrs Obeng said itemised medical treatments were not clearly indicated to make assessment easy to understand.
She therefore, appealed to service providers to go by the laid- down regulations to make it easy for the scheme to work on the bills on time to prevent vetting of what had been submitted.
The scheme manager said because of improper billing, the scheme had always paid less than what it owed.
Mrs Obeng said the scheme received GH¢ 747,271.06 last Monday August 31, 2009 as payment for the third quarter, but it would have to use the amount to defray some of the debts.
She said the metropolis had 52 active facilities made up of five government health facilities and 47 private ones caring for 374,571 people as of June 2009.
The state-owned facilities are the Tema General Hospital , Tema Polyclinic , Tema Manhean Health Centre , Ashaiman Health Post and the Oyibi Health Post, while the others are private hospitals, clinics and pharmacies.
Mrs Obeng stated that since the inception of the scheme in 2004, over 529,000 people were targeted to be under as per the 2000 Census, but expressed regret that some residents had not renewed their membership of the scheme after it expired, thereby reducing the membership to 374,571 .
She said the scheme had started registering members for the new system which would be renewed every year for a period of five years until the permanent cards came into operation .
Mrs Obeng urged the service providers to do proper billing, avoid delays and deliver on time for early reimbursement.
She also called on patients who sought medical care at the various facilities to be patient with the service providers because they needed to go through records to ascertain that they were really members of the scheme .
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
OBTAIN BUILDING PERMITS FIRST OR... (PAGE 30)
THE Tema Development Corporation (TDC) has advised potential developers to acquire permits from the corporation before erecting structures in the government’s acquired areas to avoid penalties and demolition.
Developers have also been urged to verify the status of lands they buy from chiefs in the area to ensure that they are within the TDC land area.
The Managing Director of the TDC, Mr Joe Abbey, gave the advice in an interview with the Daily Graphic on the need for the TDC to demolish over 100 illegal structures on its 365-acre land made up of 481 plots at Adjei Kojo.
He said the encroachers had put up some structures on the land after allegedly paying varied amounts to the Chief of Adjei-Kojo.
Mr Abbey said they were met with hostilities from the chief and his supporters during the demolition exercise, and therefore the TDC could not initiate the planned scheme for the area.
The Managing Director said the TDC had earlier prepared the land, provided water, roads and electricity before being chased by the chief and the people.
He said in 2002 , the Adjei-Kojo Chief brought an action against the TDC and some of its officials and went to court to claim the land but unfortunately the Tema High Court and an Appeal Court ruled in favour of TDC in late 2008.
The disputed land was found to be within the 63 square mile area compulsorily acquired by the government under the Tema Town and Port (Acquisition of land) Ordinance number 38 of 1952 and subsequently leased to the TDC.
Mr Abbey said most lands of the TDC had been encroached upon, noting that the coporation would enter those areas to take inventory of the land and ascertain the extent of encroachment.
He stated that with the ruling of the courts, TDC now had a renewed authority to take over the Adjei -Kojo land, which did not include the village.
Mr Abbey explained that the TDC did not include the villages of the acquired areas in its development scheme.
He said the TDC had always developed around the villages and not in them, and, therefore, did not disturb the people.
Mr Abbey cited examples of Santeo, Sakumono, Lashibi and Nmlitsakpo as model villages which had benefited from the development of the TDC.
He said those whose illegal structures were demolished as a result of the dispute would be considered for allocation of land in the area but they would be made to pay for it.
Mr Abbey noted that the Adjei Kojo land would be re-designed and given out to private developers to put up decent houses for orderly development .
He said the TDC still had land for development and also completed houses for sale.
Mr Abbey denounced the public outcry that the TDC had completed its responsibilities as per its establishing instrument.
He said the TDC had a lot of work to do to ensure that the acquired area was fully utilised, adding that the law establishing it did not indicate that the powers vested in the coporation would be changed.
Mr Abbey noted that the public would need to give support to the TDC to enable to do its work as expected to ensure orderly development.
He re-echoed the need for all developers to ensure that they acquired permits from the TDC and also regularised their property with the corporation for peaceful co-existence.
Developers have also been urged to verify the status of lands they buy from chiefs in the area to ensure that they are within the TDC land area.
The Managing Director of the TDC, Mr Joe Abbey, gave the advice in an interview with the Daily Graphic on the need for the TDC to demolish over 100 illegal structures on its 365-acre land made up of 481 plots at Adjei Kojo.
He said the encroachers had put up some structures on the land after allegedly paying varied amounts to the Chief of Adjei-Kojo.
Mr Abbey said they were met with hostilities from the chief and his supporters during the demolition exercise, and therefore the TDC could not initiate the planned scheme for the area.
The Managing Director said the TDC had earlier prepared the land, provided water, roads and electricity before being chased by the chief and the people.
He said in 2002 , the Adjei-Kojo Chief brought an action against the TDC and some of its officials and went to court to claim the land but unfortunately the Tema High Court and an Appeal Court ruled in favour of TDC in late 2008.
The disputed land was found to be within the 63 square mile area compulsorily acquired by the government under the Tema Town and Port (Acquisition of land) Ordinance number 38 of 1952 and subsequently leased to the TDC.
Mr Abbey said most lands of the TDC had been encroached upon, noting that the coporation would enter those areas to take inventory of the land and ascertain the extent of encroachment.
He stated that with the ruling of the courts, TDC now had a renewed authority to take over the Adjei -Kojo land, which did not include the village.
Mr Abbey explained that the TDC did not include the villages of the acquired areas in its development scheme.
He said the TDC had always developed around the villages and not in them, and, therefore, did not disturb the people.
Mr Abbey cited examples of Santeo, Sakumono, Lashibi and Nmlitsakpo as model villages which had benefited from the development of the TDC.
He said those whose illegal structures were demolished as a result of the dispute would be considered for allocation of land in the area but they would be made to pay for it.
Mr Abbey noted that the Adjei Kojo land would be re-designed and given out to private developers to put up decent houses for orderly development .
He said the TDC still had land for development and also completed houses for sale.
Mr Abbey denounced the public outcry that the TDC had completed its responsibilities as per its establishing instrument.
He said the TDC had a lot of work to do to ensure that the acquired area was fully utilised, adding that the law establishing it did not indicate that the powers vested in the coporation would be changed.
Mr Abbey noted that the public would need to give support to the TDC to enable to do its work as expected to ensure orderly development.
He re-echoed the need for all developers to ensure that they acquired permits from the TDC and also regularised their property with the corporation for peaceful co-existence.
COCAINE IN SUGAR: PORT SECURITY ON HIGH ALERT (PAGE 21)
Security agencies at the Tema Port have suspended their operations to enable them to co-ordinate arrangements required for the discharge of the sugar on the MV Eferm, which docked on Tuesday with a substance suspected to be cocaine.
The cocaine was concealed in bags marked as sugar consigned to Ghana and Matadi.
According to a security co-ordinator at the port, Captain Anthony Cudjoe (retd), the original arrangement to discharge the cargo had to be suspended to enable the security agencies to plan and discuss with all stakeholders their respective roles in the exercise before any action could be taken.
The exercise, he said, would stall certain activities at the port to ensure strict security adherence to smooth operation.
The security agencies had earlier planned to discharge the cargo and scan it to clear any foreign matter and thoroughly search the vessel.
Captain Cudjoe (retd) explained that the agencies, made up of the National Security, Ghana Police Service, BNI, Port Security, Ghana Maritime Authority and NACOB, were meeting on September 3, 2009 to hold talks with owners of the scan machines, make transport arrangements and ensure availability of warehouses for the cargo after scanning it.
Captain Cudjoe indicated that the two floating bags retrieved by the security last night, after on-the-spot chemical analysis, had been declared to be sugar and not cocaine as was being circulated.
He, however, said to clear all doubts, the bags had been sent to NACOB for thorough investigations.
Captain Cudjoe said the three marine officers who were picked for interrogation were still being held, while the other crew members were still confined to the vessel under close security.
He noted that the local agents, Global Cargo and Commodities, were ensuring the safety of the crew by supplying them with their needs.
Captain Cudjoe said the body of the deceased crew member was not accepted by the 37 Military Hospital officials and, therefore, had now been conveyed to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for the autopsy to establish the cause of death.
He also declined to give the identity of the crew members, indicating that until they were indicted, it was against international law to mention their names, especially the names of those who had been invited for interrogation.
A joint operation of security agencies at the port led to the discovery of five bags of a whitish substance suspected to be cocaine on board a Panama vessel MV Eferm from Brazil, which, after being at the break-waters for 10 days, docked at the Tema Port on Tuesday.
A Filipino crew member was also found dead in one of the cabins at the time the vessel docked at the Tema Port.
The cocaine was concealed in bags marked as sugar consigned to Ghana and Matadi.
According to a security co-ordinator at the port, Captain Anthony Cudjoe (retd), the original arrangement to discharge the cargo had to be suspended to enable the security agencies to plan and discuss with all stakeholders their respective roles in the exercise before any action could be taken.
The exercise, he said, would stall certain activities at the port to ensure strict security adherence to smooth operation.
The security agencies had earlier planned to discharge the cargo and scan it to clear any foreign matter and thoroughly search the vessel.
Captain Cudjoe (retd) explained that the agencies, made up of the National Security, Ghana Police Service, BNI, Port Security, Ghana Maritime Authority and NACOB, were meeting on September 3, 2009 to hold talks with owners of the scan machines, make transport arrangements and ensure availability of warehouses for the cargo after scanning it.
Captain Cudjoe indicated that the two floating bags retrieved by the security last night, after on-the-spot chemical analysis, had been declared to be sugar and not cocaine as was being circulated.
He, however, said to clear all doubts, the bags had been sent to NACOB for thorough investigations.
Captain Cudjoe said the three marine officers who were picked for interrogation were still being held, while the other crew members were still confined to the vessel under close security.
He noted that the local agents, Global Cargo and Commodities, were ensuring the safety of the crew by supplying them with their needs.
Captain Cudjoe said the body of the deceased crew member was not accepted by the 37 Military Hospital officials and, therefore, had now been conveyed to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for the autopsy to establish the cause of death.
He also declined to give the identity of the crew members, indicating that until they were indicted, it was against international law to mention their names, especially the names of those who had been invited for interrogation.
A joint operation of security agencies at the port led to the discovery of five bags of a whitish substance suspected to be cocaine on board a Panama vessel MV Eferm from Brazil, which, after being at the break-waters for 10 days, docked at the Tema Port on Tuesday.
A Filipino crew member was also found dead in one of the cabins at the time the vessel docked at the Tema Port.
Friday, September 4, 2009
ALTERNATIVE MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS URGED TO ADOPT GOOD WORK ETHICS (PAGE 28)
A Director of Traditional and Alternative Health at the Ministry of Health, Mr Peter Arhin, has called on operators of private health facilities to adopt good in practices to enable the ministry to achieve its goal of building the private sector to provide 50 per cent of healthcare services.
He explained that the private sector was expanding and with entrepreneurial drive it could build the needed capacity to partner the ministry for the benefit of the people.
Mr Arhin made the call at the inauguration of a branch of the Crystal Hospital in Tema. The hospital has other branches at Ashaiman, Michel Camp and Adjei-Kojo.
He commended the management of the facility for expanding fast to serve various communities in the area.
Mr Arhin emphasised the need to provide quality service with good human relations that would enable them to develop and post messages on notice boards at the precincts of their facilities to educate patients on their rights and responsibilities.
He stressed the need for them to obtain early feedback on the conditions of the patients they handled and therefore suggested that the private alternative medicine practitioners should visit patients at home to find out their conditions and how they were responding to medication.
Mr Arhin also commended the private alternative medicine practitioners for considering preventive health care and alternative health.
The Medical Director of the Crystal Hospital, Dr Wisdom Amegbletor, noted that the use of drugs was not the only way to manage ailments but also care and professional sensitivity one showed patients.
He said corruption was contagious, and therefore implored all clients to report any staff who did not perform his or her duties properly or tried to extort money from them.
Dr Amegbletor announced that the hospital had entered into a partnership agreement with all the communities in which it operated to form feedback teams to monitor its operations and the actions and inaction of the staff.
He said the hospital was moving from curative to promotional and preventive health by encouraging lifestyle change and healthy eating among the people.
Dr Amegbletor expressed his appreciation to Dr Charles Vardon Odonkor, who had run the facility as 'Odonkor's Clinic' but decided to give it out to the management of Crystal Hospital owing to his advanced age.
Dr Odonkor, who retired from active service four years ago, had run the facility for over 40 years and expressed his determination to ensure that a well-resourced and energetic person continued to provide healthcare services at the facility.
The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku, praised Dr Odonkor for using the land for the purpose for which he acquired, noting that some people acquired lands for specific purposes but diverted them into other unapproved uses.
He urged the management of the hospital to take good care of the people and not to take their lives for granted. “If you do that your clients will desert you,“ he advised.
Nii Kraku also called on the management of the health facility to intensify efforts to adopt the home visitation exercise and maintain good customer service.
He explained that the private sector was expanding and with entrepreneurial drive it could build the needed capacity to partner the ministry for the benefit of the people.
Mr Arhin made the call at the inauguration of a branch of the Crystal Hospital in Tema. The hospital has other branches at Ashaiman, Michel Camp and Adjei-Kojo.
He commended the management of the facility for expanding fast to serve various communities in the area.
Mr Arhin emphasised the need to provide quality service with good human relations that would enable them to develop and post messages on notice boards at the precincts of their facilities to educate patients on their rights and responsibilities.
He stressed the need for them to obtain early feedback on the conditions of the patients they handled and therefore suggested that the private alternative medicine practitioners should visit patients at home to find out their conditions and how they were responding to medication.
Mr Arhin also commended the private alternative medicine practitioners for considering preventive health care and alternative health.
The Medical Director of the Crystal Hospital, Dr Wisdom Amegbletor, noted that the use of drugs was not the only way to manage ailments but also care and professional sensitivity one showed patients.
He said corruption was contagious, and therefore implored all clients to report any staff who did not perform his or her duties properly or tried to extort money from them.
Dr Amegbletor announced that the hospital had entered into a partnership agreement with all the communities in which it operated to form feedback teams to monitor its operations and the actions and inaction of the staff.
He said the hospital was moving from curative to promotional and preventive health by encouraging lifestyle change and healthy eating among the people.
Dr Amegbletor expressed his appreciation to Dr Charles Vardon Odonkor, who had run the facility as 'Odonkor's Clinic' but decided to give it out to the management of Crystal Hospital owing to his advanced age.
Dr Odonkor, who retired from active service four years ago, had run the facility for over 40 years and expressed his determination to ensure that a well-resourced and energetic person continued to provide healthcare services at the facility.
The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku, praised Dr Odonkor for using the land for the purpose for which he acquired, noting that some people acquired lands for specific purposes but diverted them into other unapproved uses.
He urged the management of the hospital to take good care of the people and not to take their lives for granted. “If you do that your clients will desert you,“ he advised.
Nii Kraku also called on the management of the health facility to intensify efforts to adopt the home visitation exercise and maintain good customer service.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
COCAINE — POLICE QUIZ 3 CREW MEMBERS (PAGE 3)
THREE crew members of the alleged cocaine courier vessel M.V. Eferm have been taken to the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) in Accra for interrogation.
They are the Captain, Chief Engineer and the Chief Cook. Their names were being withheld for security reasons.
The rest of the 23-member crew are still being held on the Panamanian vessel on which the cocaine was hidden in 14,000 tonnes of sugar being carried from Brazil.
A joint operation by the National Security, the police, the NACOB and the Port Security in Tema last Tuesday led to the discovery of five bags of a substance suspected to be cocaine on board the M.V. Eferm.
The body of the Filipino crew member who allegedly committed suicide on the vessel following the discovery of the suspected cocaine has been deposited at the 37 Military Hospital morgue for autopsy to ascertain the cause of death.
A Tema Port security officer, Captain Anthony Cudjoe (retd), told the Daily Graphic that the other crew members would be invited later as investigations continued.
He said the actual weight of the five bags of suspected cocaine found on the vessel was 163 kilogrammes, while another bag weighing two kilogrammes was later found by security personnel outside the ship.
Captain Cudjoe disclosed that the 14,000 tonnes of sugar on the vessel was consigned to Ghana and Matadi in The Congo.
He explained that 8,000 tonnes were expected to be offloaded in Ghana while 6,000 tonnes were scheduled to be delivered in The Congo.
Captain Cudjoe said every single bag of the sugar would be scanned to ensure that the culprits did not get away with any concealed cargo of the substance.
At the time of filing this report, security agencies had started an operation to clear the vessel of all items and cargo.
Captain Cudjoe said the security was on the beat and would ensure that there was a thorough search on the vessel.
He said the berthing area of the vessel had been declared a security zone and there was serious monitoring currently.
They are the Captain, Chief Engineer and the Chief Cook. Their names were being withheld for security reasons.
The rest of the 23-member crew are still being held on the Panamanian vessel on which the cocaine was hidden in 14,000 tonnes of sugar being carried from Brazil.
A joint operation by the National Security, the police, the NACOB and the Port Security in Tema last Tuesday led to the discovery of five bags of a substance suspected to be cocaine on board the M.V. Eferm.
The body of the Filipino crew member who allegedly committed suicide on the vessel following the discovery of the suspected cocaine has been deposited at the 37 Military Hospital morgue for autopsy to ascertain the cause of death.
A Tema Port security officer, Captain Anthony Cudjoe (retd), told the Daily Graphic that the other crew members would be invited later as investigations continued.
He said the actual weight of the five bags of suspected cocaine found on the vessel was 163 kilogrammes, while another bag weighing two kilogrammes was later found by security personnel outside the ship.
Captain Cudjoe disclosed that the 14,000 tonnes of sugar on the vessel was consigned to Ghana and Matadi in The Congo.
He explained that 8,000 tonnes were expected to be offloaded in Ghana while 6,000 tonnes were scheduled to be delivered in The Congo.
Captain Cudjoe said every single bag of the sugar would be scanned to ensure that the culprits did not get away with any concealed cargo of the substance.
At the time of filing this report, security agencies had started an operation to clear the vessel of all items and cargo.
Captain Cudjoe said the security was on the beat and would ensure that there was a thorough search on the vessel.
He said the berthing area of the vessel had been declared a security zone and there was serious monitoring currently.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
COCAINE VESSEL HELD AT TEMA (1b)
Story: Rose Hayfron Darko & Della Russel Ocloo, Tema
A Joint operation by the National Security, the police, the Narcotic Control Board and the Port Security has led to the discovery of five bags of substance suspected to be cocaine on board a Panaminian vessel which docked with cargo later found to be sugar from Brazil.
A Filipino crew member whose identity is yet to be established was alleged to have committed suicide after the discovery of the cocaine.
The 23 crew members, as well as the ship, have been placed under security guard to avoid any intrusion.
The area around Berth Three, where the vessel MV St Eferm docked yesterday afternoon, was cordoned off and declared a security zone.
Information gathered at the port indicated that Agency Global Cargo and Commodities based in Tema was the local agent for the vessel.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the incident in Tema, the Chairman of the NACOB Board, Captain Assassie Gyimah (retd), said the vessel arrived in the country 10 days ago but was able to berth yesterday afternoon only for the security to discover the bags of the substance suspected to be cocaine.
He said the substance looked like sugar and, therefore, required expertise of officials of the security agencies and NACOB to detect the substance.
He said the vessel, flying a Panamanian flag, carried 14,000 tonnes of sugar from Brazil.
Captain Gyimah said security search during the joint operation at about 5.30 p.m. uncovered five parcels of whitish substances believed to be cocaine.
Meanwhile the body of the Filipino crew member has been conveyed to a mortuary in Accra for further examination and autopsy.
A Joint operation by the National Security, the police, the Narcotic Control Board and the Port Security has led to the discovery of five bags of substance suspected to be cocaine on board a Panaminian vessel which docked with cargo later found to be sugar from Brazil.
A Filipino crew member whose identity is yet to be established was alleged to have committed suicide after the discovery of the cocaine.
The 23 crew members, as well as the ship, have been placed under security guard to avoid any intrusion.
The area around Berth Three, where the vessel MV St Eferm docked yesterday afternoon, was cordoned off and declared a security zone.
Information gathered at the port indicated that Agency Global Cargo and Commodities based in Tema was the local agent for the vessel.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the incident in Tema, the Chairman of the NACOB Board, Captain Assassie Gyimah (retd), said the vessel arrived in the country 10 days ago but was able to berth yesterday afternoon only for the security to discover the bags of the substance suspected to be cocaine.
He said the substance looked like sugar and, therefore, required expertise of officials of the security agencies and NACOB to detect the substance.
He said the vessel, flying a Panamanian flag, carried 14,000 tonnes of sugar from Brazil.
Captain Gyimah said security search during the joint operation at about 5.30 p.m. uncovered five parcels of whitish substances believed to be cocaine.
Meanwhile the body of the Filipino crew member has been conveyed to a mortuary in Accra for further examination and autopsy.
COCAINE VESSEL HELD AT TEMA (1b)
Story: Rose Hayfron Darko & Della Russel Ocloo, Tema
A Joint operation by the National Security, the police, the Narcotic Control Board and the Port Security has led to the discovery of five bags of substance suspected to be cocaine on board a Panaminian vessel which docked with cargo later found to be sugar from Brazil.
A Filipino crew member whose identity is yet to be established was alleged to have committed suicide after the discovery of the cocaine.
The 23 crew members, as well as the ship, have been placed under security guard to avoid any intrusion.
The area around Berth Three, where the vessel MV St Eferm docked yesterday afternoon, was cordoned off and declared a security zone.
Information gathered at the port indicated that Agency Global Cargo and Commodities based in Tema was the local agent for the vessel.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the incident in Tema, the Chairman of the NACOB Board, Captain Assassie Gyimah (retd), said the vessel arrived in the country 10 days ago but was able to berth yesterday afternoon only for the security to discover the bags of the substance suspected to be cocaine.
He said the substance looked like sugar and, therefore, required expertise of officials of the security agencies and NACOB to detect the substance.
He said the vessel, flying a Panamanian flag, carried 14,000 tonnes of sugar from Brazil.
Captain Gyimah said security search during the joint operation at about 5.30 p.m. uncovered five parcels of whitish substances believed to be cocaine.
Meanwhile the body of the Filipino crew member has been conveyed to a mortuary in Accra for further examination and autopsy.
A Joint operation by the National Security, the police, the Narcotic Control Board and the Port Security has led to the discovery of five bags of substance suspected to be cocaine on board a Panaminian vessel which docked with cargo later found to be sugar from Brazil.
A Filipino crew member whose identity is yet to be established was alleged to have committed suicide after the discovery of the cocaine.
The 23 crew members, as well as the ship, have been placed under security guard to avoid any intrusion.
The area around Berth Three, where the vessel MV St Eferm docked yesterday afternoon, was cordoned off and declared a security zone.
Information gathered at the port indicated that Agency Global Cargo and Commodities based in Tema was the local agent for the vessel.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the incident in Tema, the Chairman of the NACOB Board, Captain Assassie Gyimah (retd), said the vessel arrived in the country 10 days ago but was able to berth yesterday afternoon only for the security to discover the bags of the substance suspected to be cocaine.
He said the substance looked like sugar and, therefore, required expertise of officials of the security agencies and NACOB to detect the substance.
He said the vessel, flying a Panamanian flag, carried 14,000 tonnes of sugar from Brazil.
Captain Gyimah said security search during the joint operation at about 5.30 p.m. uncovered five parcels of whitish substances believed to be cocaine.
Meanwhile the body of the Filipino crew member has been conveyed to a mortuary in Accra for further examination and autopsy.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
TEMA, TDI PORTS TO BENEFIT FROM OIL FIND (PAGE 34)
The Tema and Takoradi harbours stand to gain a lot from the country's oil find in terms of employment and revenue generation as the country steps out to become an oil-producing country very soon.
This gives positive indications of the country becoming 'a country of hope' with job generation and use of expertise and human resource at its peak.
Estimates show that the country is expecting 120,000 barrels of oil and 120 million standard cubic feet of gas per day in the phase one of operations at the Jubilee Field Project.
The Deputy Energy Minister, Dr Kwabena Donkor, said the discovery of oil and gas in commercial quantities would provide the country an immense opportunity to effectively improve on its economy.
He also said all sectors of the economy were being positioned for the take-off into the new economic horizon created by the oil and gas discoveries.
According to Mr Nestor Percy Galley, the acting Director-General of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire has facilities for support services and, therefore, making it competitive for Ghana to work fast to install the needed facilities which will give the country full benefits and to contribute to job creation.
He said marine and technical facilities needed to support and provide adequate services to the oil fields would include expansion of the existing facilities at the Takoradi Port, which serves as the nearest commercial port to the oil fields.
Mr Galley disclosed that the an estimated amount of $ 50 million would be needed for the first phase short-term expansion project at the Takoradi Port to serve the oil fields. He said the second phase, which would be the actual project, would be based on the need of the services of the companies and therefore the GPHA would liaise closely with them to identify their needs. Mr Galley said the authority would offer employment opportunities to local people and Ghanaians who had the expertise in the fields of marine technology and port services.
He stated that the authority had already started work with the oil drilling companies on a low key, while waiting for the main aspects of the work.
Mr Galley said the GPHA was working feverishly to ensure that a modest arrangement was made at the Takoradi Port to reap the benefits of the country's oil find.
He said the port would need to undergo some expansion with the provision of certain facilities to make the Takoradi Port capable of providing support services of oil production.
These, he said, would include deep draft berthing facilities for vessels bringing plant and equipment for the oil field, office accommodation for oil companies, open and covered storage facilities for the production materials and pipes and free zone area for production materials.
Mr Galley noted that other areas to be considered by the GPHA were pipe welding, supply of fresh water, bunkering facilities for supply vessels and cranes for handling of plant and materials and trained workforce for stevedoring of plants and machinery from vessels.
He noted that the Takoradi Port would also be dredged and land reclaimed to be developed into oil services facility to support oil production in the short term.
Mr Galley said to ensure partnership, the GPHA had made arrangements to meet the immediate needs of some of the oil companies at the Takoradi Port to enable them to store and weld their drilling pipes and risers and also provide a place for the liquid and bulk plants.
He said the GPHA had also leased out its bauxite berth for rig repairs while other areas in the port had been allocated for storage of equipment and pipes for the oil fields.
Mr Galley reiterated the job opening that the oil find would create in the Tema and Takoradi Metropolitan areas, which are the two port cities in the country, noting that the GPHA would employ and train people in specialised fields while the oil companies would also target local people for on-the-job, artisanal and other duties.
This gives positive indications of the country becoming 'a country of hope' with job generation and use of expertise and human resource at its peak.
Estimates show that the country is expecting 120,000 barrels of oil and 120 million standard cubic feet of gas per day in the phase one of operations at the Jubilee Field Project.
The Deputy Energy Minister, Dr Kwabena Donkor, said the discovery of oil and gas in commercial quantities would provide the country an immense opportunity to effectively improve on its economy.
He also said all sectors of the economy were being positioned for the take-off into the new economic horizon created by the oil and gas discoveries.
According to Mr Nestor Percy Galley, the acting Director-General of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire has facilities for support services and, therefore, making it competitive for Ghana to work fast to install the needed facilities which will give the country full benefits and to contribute to job creation.
He said marine and technical facilities needed to support and provide adequate services to the oil fields would include expansion of the existing facilities at the Takoradi Port, which serves as the nearest commercial port to the oil fields.
Mr Galley disclosed that the an estimated amount of $ 50 million would be needed for the first phase short-term expansion project at the Takoradi Port to serve the oil fields. He said the second phase, which would be the actual project, would be based on the need of the services of the companies and therefore the GPHA would liaise closely with them to identify their needs. Mr Galley said the authority would offer employment opportunities to local people and Ghanaians who had the expertise in the fields of marine technology and port services.
He stated that the authority had already started work with the oil drilling companies on a low key, while waiting for the main aspects of the work.
Mr Galley said the GPHA was working feverishly to ensure that a modest arrangement was made at the Takoradi Port to reap the benefits of the country's oil find.
He said the port would need to undergo some expansion with the provision of certain facilities to make the Takoradi Port capable of providing support services of oil production.
These, he said, would include deep draft berthing facilities for vessels bringing plant and equipment for the oil field, office accommodation for oil companies, open and covered storage facilities for the production materials and pipes and free zone area for production materials.
Mr Galley noted that other areas to be considered by the GPHA were pipe welding, supply of fresh water, bunkering facilities for supply vessels and cranes for handling of plant and materials and trained workforce for stevedoring of plants and machinery from vessels.
He noted that the Takoradi Port would also be dredged and land reclaimed to be developed into oil services facility to support oil production in the short term.
Mr Galley said to ensure partnership, the GPHA had made arrangements to meet the immediate needs of some of the oil companies at the Takoradi Port to enable them to store and weld their drilling pipes and risers and also provide a place for the liquid and bulk plants.
He said the GPHA had also leased out its bauxite berth for rig repairs while other areas in the port had been allocated for storage of equipment and pipes for the oil fields.
Mr Galley reiterated the job opening that the oil find would create in the Tema and Takoradi Metropolitan areas, which are the two port cities in the country, noting that the GPHA would employ and train people in specialised fields while the oil companies would also target local people for on-the-job, artisanal and other duties.
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