Ghana Boosts Ties with Trinidad & Tobago

Dr Joe Oteng-Adje and Carolyn Bachan

GHANA boosted its relations with Trinidad and Tobago after a delegation from the Government of Ghana joined the people of Trinidad and Tobago to commemorate the Emancipation Day celebration of the oil-rich country on August 1, 2010.
The delegation, which was led by the Energy Minister, Dr. Joe Oteng-Adjei included the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in Accra.
They paid a courtesy call on the newly-elected Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Hon. Mrs. Kamla Persad Bissessar to deliver a special message from President Mills.
Bilateral talks were held with the prime minister and the newly-appointed Minister of Energy and Industries, Senator Carolyn Seepersad Bachan on the support of Trinidad and Tobago to Ghana’s gas sector.
In his speech, Dr. Oteng-Adjei described the visit as timely because of Ghana’s oil discovery.
Dr. Oteng-Adjei indicated that with the recent discoveries in the Jubilee oilfields which contain an expected recoverable reserves of about 800 million barrels of light crude oil with an upside potential of about 3 billion barrels, Ghana has become a major oil and gas producing country.
Dr. Oteng-Adjei emphasized government’s commitment to encouraging the industry practitioners in the sector to share experiences with their counterparts in Trinidad and Tobago to improve the local content and participation policy.
The mutually beneficial relationship that exists between the two countries over the years was acknowledged by the Prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago.
She added that it was thoughtful of Ghana to re-affirm its relationship with the new government, assuring that her country would support the development of the country’s  oil and gas industry.
Thomas Manu, Director of operations at Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) who was part of the delegation, pointed out that issues of local content and participation have recently gained prominence internationally, disclosing that they are relevant to all oil producing countries that seek to maximize benefits from its oil resources.
“The huge value they can bring to oil and gas producing community provides compelling reasons for the development and enactment of a local content and participation policy in Ghana,” he stressed.
Trinidad and Tobago, which lies in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela, has been producing oil for the past 100 years.
The country is the world’s largest producer of ammonia fertilizer and methanol.