ACEP embarks on ‘Citizens Energy Manifesto’
The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) is embarking on a ‘Citizens Energy Manifesto’ to collate views and shape opinions to influence this year’s general election.
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The energy policy, when fine-tuned, is to be made available to the various political parties to guide them in providing pragmatic solutions to the country’s erratic power supply.
At the forum on the citizen’s agenda for energy development, one of the series of programmes being initiated by ACEP to trigger energy discussions during the election in Kumasi last Wednesday, the head of policy, Dr Ishmael Ackah, said the document was expected to become a social contract between the electorate and the parties to deliver on the roadmap.
The forum dwelt on two main fronts in the energy sector; petroleum and power, and gave an insight into some of the intricacies that governed the industry.
The move is to make election 2016 focus mainly on the energy sector and provide feasible solutions to the problems.
Among the key challenges, the ACEP, through the various fora, wishes to redefine the role of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), which is alleged to be dissipating the oil resources in areas outside its core mandate.
Indeed, Section 18 (3) of the Petroleum Revenue Management Act indicates that where no long-term national development plan has been approved, the minister of finance should select no more than four priority areas for a period of three years.
In contrast however, the government is known to select 16 priority areas, including sponsoring MUSIGHA and the senior national football team, the Black Stars.
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Sequel to that, ACEP is pushing for an entrenched clause in the law to compel the government and its agencies to operate strictly within the confines of the law.
Dr Ackah indicated the need for Ghanaians to address the ‘missing links’ in the oil and gas industry, especially in the areas of concessions, transparency and disclosure of beneficial ownership information.
On power, he said as a result of the increase in demand and the continuous dwindling of supply, the various fora would have to propose a workable plan to sustain the industry.
Being part of the plan is to improve the revenue collection of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), especially to collect the bills of the government agencies which still owe the company.