Mr Kobina Pra-Annan, Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Chief Executive, has inaugurated the Western Regional branch of the Ghana Oil and Gas Service Providers Association (GOGSPA) at Takoradi.
He appealed to the members to sustain the association to prevent it from becoming a
"Nine day wonder" and from breaking up into splinter groups.
Mr Pra-Annan, who represented the Western Regional Minister, urged the association to
come out with ideas on how the region could use the oil find to speed up its development.
He said the region had not been able to develop appreciably despite its numerous
natural resources and the same should not happen in the case of the oil find.
Mr Musihu Obanikoro, the Nigerian High Commissioner in Ghana, spoke of the long standing cordial relationship between Ghana and Nigeria and said it was more than "geographical expression of solidarity".
He also spoke of Nigeria's experiences with the oil industry and suggested to the government to allow greater participation of Ghanaians in the industry and to decide on how revenue from the industry sould be shared to prevent conflicts.
Mr Obanikoro said many of the conflicts on the continent arose out dissatisfaction with
the formula for sharing and controlling of mineral resources.
He said the financial sector would need to be restructured to help Ghanaians to compete
in the country's oil industry and the major players in the industry should be effectively
monitored and supervised to ensure compliance
"If the challenges besetting the local content initiative are tactfully looked into by the
government of Ghana, the nation's oil and gas sector will witness an exponential growth which will help tremendously in poverty alleviation, development of key infrastructure and above all, create political and economic stability."
Mr William Kwame Agbesinyale, President of GOGSPA, said the aim of the association was to help build and guard the nation so that the local content of the oil discovery would not become a curse as in other countries but a blessing.
He said the association also aims at promoting local content by assisting in the training and employment of the youth.
Mr Agbesinyale urged the government, as a matter of urgency, to enact laws concerning
the local content that would guide the conduct of the players in the industry.
He said the association was not affiliated to any political party and would support the
government of the day to ensure that the country moves forward in the pursuit of oil and gas
exploration, development and production.