GAS FACTORY PROMISES MORE JOB

Story: Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Esiama
The gas processing factory to be positioned between Effasu and Atuabo in the Western Region has been identified as one main aspect of the country’s oil find that would create numerous jobs.
The gas processing plant is expected to create jobs in the banking, hospitality, insurance, Electrical Services, legal services, recruitment and technical services, agriculture, real estate and other related service that would help address some aspects of request for employment.
The youth and the skilled labour in the region have therefore been urged to get ready to meet the challenge.
According to Mr Francis Amewudi, an engineer with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation was responding to question about the gas factory and employment at the last public hearing on environmental impact assessment and mitigation plan for oil companies at the Jubilee Oil Field.
He said sitting the gas factory which would process gas from Jubilee fields to power Aboadze Thermal Plant, Osagyefo Barge and for domestic as well as export which would transform the community.
When work started at the area, he said “there would be the need for financial sector to provide services to these companies and that would mean improvement social infrastructure as well as complete transformation of the whole area.”
He said what is important was to ensure that the people were ready for job openings in the often. Apart from those who would be employed to work during the setting up of the factory, he said there would be other opening after its completion.
The banks, insurance, hospitality and other service providers would require staff and that would positive for the people.
There would also be an improvement in social infrastructure such as roads and other facilities that would make life comfortable for workers that would employed.
The upstream petroleum industry, Mr Amewudi said was very complex, technology based and capital intensive which employs only few technocrats at a time.
He said the greatest news was that Ghana had decided not to flare the its gas deposit, but channel for multi-billion dollar onshore gas factory.
He said at them moment there is a survey going on to ensure that good location was found for the commencement of work.
Other speakers also described the oil industry as heavily pregnant institution that could give berth to several businesses and to affect the country positively.
For his part, Government and External Affairs Officer for Tullow, Mr Kofi Esson assured the chiefs and people of the areas of the high environmental standard.
He took time explain the corporate social responsibility, how to handle emergency situations among others. Officials of Environmental Protection Agency and other officials of GNPC took turns to answer questions from the public.