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Regional News of Thursday, 14 March 2024

Source: Western Nzema youth league-Beyin

Re: Ghana Gas initiates over 398 projects within 10 years

Head Office of Ghana Gas Company Head Office of Ghana Gas Company

We woke up to a publication on January 30, 2024, indicating that Ghana National Gas Company, through their corporate social responsibility, has decided to put dust in the eyes of Ghanaians, particularly the good people of Nzema, regarding their CSR rhetoric.

Ghana National Gas Company has failed the good people of Nzema regarding their corporate social responsibility. A typical example is Asemda, Atuabo, Beyin, Ekabaku Anochie, and a host of others who have been dealing with the venting of gas and exposure to dangerous greenhouse gases for over a decade now.

These sensitive areas do not have a common air quality monitoring station. But they claim to be ISO 4500:1 certified. This makes them fail in the areas of health and agriculture, as our rivers are now acidic. The whole of Nzema cannot boast of a single air quality monitoring station. Even though we can strongly suggest that their operations are complicit in various respiratory problems in the Nzema area and trap heat from these greenhouse gases that are vented like pentanes, we need to partner with and localise their operations and be climate conscious.

Ghana National Gas Company has never even invested in any form of system in agriculture, not to mention green house technologies, taking into consideration their operations, their effects on agriculture, and climate change that is starring at our faces.

In their submission and fustian of charade to the media, they made mention of 78 CSR in the catchment area. This assertion lacks a lot of credibility since there's nothing to show as value-added CSR. We dare them to provide us with details.

We are being threatened by the flaring and venting of natural gas. Ghana has no flaring policy. Why don't we stick to it and inject the gas for better use? We can add value to gases like isopentane for power generation instead of venting them away and harming the environment.

Again, they reiterated that 60 women from Nzema have been economically fortified to trade in various forms. This is funny. There is no iota of truth in this, and considering the population in the Three Nzema Districts is 60 people, even if it is true, it is nothing to write home about.

Their gas school initiative is a laudable idea, but we hope it doesn't become mere talk. Ghana Gas is always preaching wisdom and practicing vice when it comes to community affairs.

Their constant neglect to offset carbon through various initiatives is a bane on us, as climate change is here to stay and we need resilient measures and a lead gas aggregator and ventor of natural gas.

The proposed gas bottling plant in Axim is just a campaign slogan to get the attention of the good people of Evalu Gwira. This same project was commissioned to start about four years ago.

It's very sad that Evalue Gwira, which holds the longest pipeline for GNGC, is totally ignored. You cannot pinpoint one project in Nzema East Municipality by the Ghana National Gas Company. Look at the Gwira area, which houses GNGC's longest pipeline. It's an eyesore. We feel insulted by the community department of GHANA Gas for falsely reporting their CSR.

Ever since this leadership took over community affairs, every single thing has been politicized. The youth quality health care, systems in agriculture, and human capital development. We want to feel like the owners of resources. We have been shortchanged for a long time. Wealth creation is what we need because we have been press conferenced for a long time.