President John Evans Atta Mills has issued a strong warning to people who intend to take undue advantage of the country’s emerging oil industry, to stay off or face the consequences.
The activities of such groups and persons with parochial interests who, he described as “vampires” because they engineer so much corruption in the oil industry, will be adequately checked in Ghana to ensure that the proceeds of the oil production becomes beneficial to Ghanaians.
President Mills gave the warning when he addressed the Ghanaian community in Bern, Switzerland, on Sunday, at the start of his three-day official visit to that country, as part of measures to woo investment to Ghana.
He assured Ghanaians living abroad that his administration would be strict in the management of oil production, saying that measures were in place to guard the oil industry against the “vampires”.
“Already, there are so many vampires who are invading Ghana, and I want to warn both Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians alike that we are not going to sit and allow our God-given resources to be mismanaged,” he stressed.
If the activities of the vampires were not checked, he said it could threaten efforts at ensuring that the living standards of the broad masses of Ghanaians were improved with the proceeds from the country’s oil resource.
He also reiterated the government’s determination to ensure high level of transparency in the oil industry, promising that the government would account for all revenue derived from the oil.
“In pursuing the national interest we have to be fair, transparent and objective in the management of the oil industry,” he said, and noted that the government would not allow itself to be distracted.
President Mills expressed optimism that the oil find would be a blessing to the economy and promised to use the oil funds to invest adequately in the needed areas.
The President urged Ghanaians abroad to continue supporting the government for national socio-economic development, saying that the better Ghana agenda was on course.
"We are going to remain focused because we want to leave a better Ghana for future generations,” he stressed.
Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, Minister of Foreign Affairs, responding to issues about elections, explained that government was collaborating with the Electoral Commission to allow Ghanaians in the Diaspora to exercise their franchise.
He said, “the NDC in opposition took a position not against the principle of enfranchising our citizens abroad but we took issues with the flawed process by which this was sought to be done.”
He said if the the proposed amendments to the Representation of the People Amendments law went through successfully, Ghanaians in the Diaspora would be able to vote in elections in Ghana.
He noted that currently the Inter Party Advisory Committee was considering the various amendments so as to make it acceptable for the Electoral Commission to implement the ROPAL.
The activities of such groups and persons with parochial interests who, he described as “vampires” because they engineer so much corruption in the oil industry, will be adequately checked in Ghana to ensure that the proceeds of the oil production becomes beneficial to Ghanaians.
President Mills gave the warning when he addressed the Ghanaian community in Bern, Switzerland, on Sunday, at the start of his three-day official visit to that country, as part of measures to woo investment to Ghana.
He assured Ghanaians living abroad that his administration would be strict in the management of oil production, saying that measures were in place to guard the oil industry against the “vampires”.
“Already, there are so many vampires who are invading Ghana, and I want to warn both Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians alike that we are not going to sit and allow our God-given resources to be mismanaged,” he stressed.
If the activities of the vampires were not checked, he said it could threaten efforts at ensuring that the living standards of the broad masses of Ghanaians were improved with the proceeds from the country’s oil resource.
He also reiterated the government’s determination to ensure high level of transparency in the oil industry, promising that the government would account for all revenue derived from the oil.
“In pursuing the national interest we have to be fair, transparent and objective in the management of the oil industry,” he said, and noted that the government would not allow itself to be distracted.
President Mills expressed optimism that the oil find would be a blessing to the economy and promised to use the oil funds to invest adequately in the needed areas.
The President urged Ghanaians abroad to continue supporting the government for national socio-economic development, saying that the better Ghana agenda was on course.
"We are going to remain focused because we want to leave a better Ghana for future generations,” he stressed.
Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, Minister of Foreign Affairs, responding to issues about elections, explained that government was collaborating with the Electoral Commission to allow Ghanaians in the Diaspora to exercise their franchise.
He said, “the NDC in opposition took a position not against the principle of enfranchising our citizens abroad but we took issues with the flawed process by which this was sought to be done.”
He said if the the proposed amendments to the Representation of the People Amendments law went through successfully, Ghanaians in the Diaspora would be able to vote in elections in Ghana.
He noted that currently the Inter Party Advisory Committee was considering the various amendments so as to make it acceptable for the Electoral Commission to implement the ROPAL.
