Lawyer Anokye alleges fraudulent dealings at Ghana Petroleum Hub

Lawyer and Historian, Anokye Frimpong has allegedly accused Board Members of the Ghana Petroleum Hub of causing financial loss to the State.

Speaking to Kafui Dey on the GTV Breakfast Show, he disclosed that a Board has been instituted while a company is yet to be put in place.

“There is a board, and it’s like the company is functioning in practice while there is nothing on the ground.”

The development of the $60 billion Ghana Petroleum Hub began in 2020 in the Jomoro Municipality of the Western Nzema Traditional Council in the Western Region of Ghana. This came after Parliament passed the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation (PHDC) Bill in October 2020.

According to a PHDC Publication, the project is expected to provide a total of 780,000 jobs during the development phase and beyond, with a significant positive outlook on the economy.

On August 18, 2021, the president appointed Mr. Charles Owusu as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the project. The Board was subsequently inaugurated on September 7, 2021, with the Paramount Chief of the Western Nzema Traditional Area, Awulae Annor Adjei III, serving as its Chairman, following approval from the Council of State.

In an interview with theenergyyear.com, the CEO stated that the first phase of the project would commence in the first quarter of 2022.

“If all goes well, by the end of Q1 2022 we should sign an agreement for phase one and we could start developing the land as early as Q2 of 2022,” he disclosed.

Mr. Anokye is worried that the project, which could create employment for the teeming youth in the catchment area and beyond, has now become a white elephant.

He made this revelation on the back of the Debt Exchange Programme being embarked upon by the government.

He appealed to the government to devise alternative policies like closing such loopholes, to lessen the burden on the average Ghanaian.