Revealed: Parliament secretly awarding oil contracts

• Posted on March 25, 2014March 25, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The Africa Center for Energy Policy (ACEP) is accusing Parliament of defying its own Standing Orders for hastily ratifying the contracts with companies seeking to explore the nation’s oil blocks.

ACEP says the contracts are being awarded on the blind side of Ghanaians.

The accusation follows the decision by Parliament to ratify the petroleum agreement between the government of Ghana and five companies for the exploration of oil in the Expanded Shallow Water Tano Block.

According to ACEP, the rush to ratify oil contract and the secrecy in the award of these contracts are attempts at avoiding the scrutiny of these contracts by citizens.

Responding to these accusations however, the Adansi Asokwa Legislator and a ranking member on the Energy Committee of Parliament, K. T. Hammond warned the various non-governmental organizations operating in the country to be “mindful of how they approach the work of Parliament.”

He described as “completely unfair”, for ACEP “to put into the public domain, matters which are totally false”

Mr. Hammond question how ACEP came by the information insisting that the allegations are false.

“I don’t quite understand what is it that they are talking about and they talking about trying to pass this thing on the blind side of the Ghanaian. We were there and looking after the interest of the Ghanaian so I don’t quite understand. There was no certificate of urgency or anything,” he said.

According to the Adansi Asokwa MP, Parliament is a master of its own procedures and when such agreements are put before the House, the rules stipulate that there should be a 48hour maturity period but “by the same regulations, we are allowed to bring a motion to say that notwithstanding, we want to take the particular document today.”

He maintained there is nothing untoward about how Parliament went about the matter.

By: Efua Idan Osam