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Tag: Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh

  • British High Commission partners cities of Tamale and Sekondi-Takoradi to address flooding issues

    The British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, has reiterated the High Commission’s commitment to addressing climate change and reducing emissions through UK Aid’s funding for the International Finance Corporation’s EDGE certificate for green buildings.

    She also highlighted key contributions of the High Commission in providing solutions at the city level through partnerships.

    “We are working to address broader challenges in the built environment, through partnerships with the cities of Tamale and Sekondi-Takoradi to identify urban flooding hotspots and model damage from floods which are being increasingly caused by changing weather patterns and intense rainfall”.

    “I am pleased to say we recently launched a second phase of this project and will be working with both cities to identify specific solutions to flooding issues – a very live issue given how much rain we have been having” Harriet Thompson expressed further.

    The 5th Ghana Green Building Summit organised by Yecham Property Consult was held from October 5-6, 2022 at the green certified CalBank Head Office in Accra and opened by its Managing, Philip Owiredu.

    For the second year running, the summit followed a hybrid style that attracted 204 in-person delegates and 1,415 online users who participated virtually from over 30 countries. There was also participation from 35 partner organizations and 27 speakers from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Finland, Australia, Singapore, USA and the UK.

    Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Minister of Energy revealed that an Energy Performance Certification Scheme is being developed for public buildings using their specific energy consumption (KWh/m2).

    “A tool for the assessment and the certification in this respect is being developed. Measures are also being put in place to train the needed professionals for the assessment”, the Minister emphasised.

    British High Commission partners cities of Tamale and Sekondi-Takoradi to address flooding issues

    He also pointed out that 17 new energy efficiency standards and labelling regulations for appliances including those commonly used in buildings such as electric kettles, Television sets/Monitors, Clothes Washing Machines, Rice Cookers. These regulations will be ready soon for enforcement.

    Representing the substantive Minister of Works and Housing, the Deputy Minister, Abdulai Abanga noted that the Ministry has also initiated the process to establish the Ghana Housing Authority which will have the mandate to regulate, plan, develop and manage housing developments in Ghana.

    British High Commission partners cities of Tamale and Sekondi-Takoradi to address flooding issues

    Being a landmark 5th anniversary, there were a few exciting additions this year. During the summit, an EXPO was held where organizations showcased their green innovations, products and services. The summit concluded with a Gala Dinner Awards Night held at Labadi Beach Hotel, to acknowledge key stakeholders and recognize key facilities in the green building space.

    Whilst awareness and interest in green buildings have increased steadily in the last few years as a result of this particular advocacy, affordability and other community issues like absence of green social spaces, reliable transportation, robust infrastructure, increased traffic and pollution have been some of impediments to the holistic development of green buildings and creation of livable cities. Providing practical solutions is what inspired the summit’s theme this: Re-imagining affordable housing and livable cities through green solutions.

    This theme cut across many insightful discussions and presentations as speakers re-imagined building materials, construction methods and funding options.

    There was also a mayors’ roundtable that addressed the challenges and opportunities in creating livable cities. That panel included Jaewon Peter Chun, President at World Smart Cities Forum (WSCF); Abdallah Mtinika, Mayor Temeke municipality Dar es Salaam Tanzania and Prof. Manuel Antonio Alculete Lopes de Araújo, The Mayor of Quelimane, Mozambique.

    Source: MyJoyOnline

  • You can’t use Mahama to advance your vice-presidential ambitions – NDC jabs NAPO

    The National Democratic Congress (NDC), in the Ashanti Region have cautioned the Manhyia South Member of Parliament, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh to stay off joining issues with former president John Dramani Mahama.

    The party at an October 20, 2022 press conference said a recent attack on the former president by the MP, popularly referred to as NAPO, was to further his ambitions of becoming a vice-presidential aspirant of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).

    NAPO had earlier this week stated that he was going to match Mahama boot for boot given that he was the most likely presidential candidate of the NDC. He reportedly added that he was going to teach Mahama some sense.

    Responding to his claims, the NDC official who addressed the press conference stated: “We know you have aspirations of becoming a running mate, but if you think you will use Mahama to advance your aspirations, then we are battle ready for you.

    The NDC asked NAPO to advance any extra sense that he had to VP Mahamudu Bawumia to help him tackle the economic challenges the country is currently faced with.

    “We want to tell the Manhyia South MP that even if he has any sense as he claims, he should advance some to Bawumia to tackle the economic challenges so that people in his constituency – Alabar and Ashtown – to ameliorate the hardship and loss of livelihoods people are suffering.

  • Kumasi became ‘borla’ city after Kufuor left in 2008 – NAPO claims

    Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, alias NAPO, has restated why the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will forever remain the preferred party in the Ashanti Region.

    He holds that it is often during the NPP’s era that the region known to be its electoral world bank gets needed development.

    NAPO, while speaking at the flagging-off ceremony for work to begin on the Suame Interchange stressed that Asanteman had to be forever grateful to the party for its contributions to development.

    “When Nana Addo speaks, people take him on, I want to tell all of you gathered here that if you need a government that will come and help Asanteman, it is the NPP.

    “If God had allowed Nana Addo to succeed President Kufuor, Kumasi would have been known as the golden city. When that did not happen, we became known as borla city, there was refuse all over the place since Nana Addo came, have you seen the refuse?

    “We shouldn’t show ingratitude, Asantes are grateful, let us not be ungrateful. Asante has good memories…,” he stated before adding: “it is based on this that we will continue to vote for the NPP till God descends from the heavens.

    “I can say that anyone here who votes for the NDC does not mean well for Asanteman,” he added in a video clip sighted by GhanaWeb.

    President John Agyekum Kufuor completed his second term in office in 2008 having taken office in 2000 from the late Jerry John Rawlings.

    The election to replace Kufuor was between Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the late John Evans Atta-Mills. The latter contesting for the third consecutive time beat Akufo-Addo in a runoff vote.

    Imagine what’d happen if this came from any NDC member of parliament from the Volta Region. Just imagine???? pic.twitter.com/kcaZDECInV

    — General Marcus! (@marcusadampah) October 20, 2022

  • I will ensure lights stay on in Ghana, you deserve it – Energy Minister 

    Intermittent power supply across the country will no longer be tolerated, according to Energy Minister Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh.

    According to Dr Opoku Prempeh, the Energy Ministry is “determined to ensure that the lights stay on” since he believes “Ghanaians deserve no less.”

    Dr Opoku Prempeh, who also doubles as the Manhyia South Constituency Member of Parliament, gave his word after President Akufo-Addo commissioned the 330KV Kumasi-Bolgatanga Transmission Line Project at Anwomaso, near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

    The project, which covers a distance of approximately 550km, has increased transmission capacity to meet growing demand in Ashanti Region, the northern part of Ghana and beyond.

    There has also been a reduction in transmission line overloads and associated high transmission losses in the Ashanti, Bono, and Bono East Regions, according to the Energy Minister.

    Since the beginning of 2022, several parts of the country have witnessed power interruptions, mostly due to maintenance work being executed by the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) on faulty transmission lines.

     In September this year, some homes were plunged into darkness as they could not purchase prepaid credits from outlets belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

    The challenge has, however, been addressed and consumers can now access electricity.

    Following the incidents, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh reiterated that “power remains a critical aspect of our daily lives” thus “President Akufo-Addo is focused on ensuring that the sector is fit for purpose.”

    He further added that the government will continue to make the necessary investments in power generation, transmission, and distribution.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Hijabs will be searched during BECE – Edu. Director

    The Municipal Education Director of Effia Kwesimintsim Municipality, Mrs Kate Biney says very stringent measures will be ensured to prevent cheating in the upcoming Basic Education Certificate Examination (B.E.C.E) that is billed to start on Monday , October 17, 2022.

    Speaking on Takoradi-based flagship morning programme Y3nsom with host Kwame Malcolm, on preparedness of the candidates ahead of the examination, the Municipal Education Director hinted of thorough search on the candidates.

    ” …West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) has given the needed orientation for supervisors and made it clear what is expected of them. The teachers themselves do not go to the examination centre, then you leave the children to go to the centre and then searched. This time we are going to do thorough searching so if you hear we are frisking their armpits etcetera understand; as males will search males and females attend to females. Due to what happened during WASSCE, WAEC has information on how candidates hide the foreign material as now it is not as open as in their shoes. They now hide it in their panties as menstrual pads, in between their belts, even they wear double nose mask and hide it in between ;under their neck collars and our muslim colleagues, thier hijabs will be searched;” she emphasised.

    Mrs Kate Biney said that they will be searched to their pants.

    “We will search their pants and the women invigilators can notice if one is really menstruating or has hidden a foreign material there. What is happening is unacceptable, the boys can hide it in their scrotum in between their testicles. We will feel the hijabs if it contains any material aside their hair. We know Muslim ladies do not expose their hair so we will not remove it but when we are suspicious we will ask you to remove it and shake it and wear it again and proceed;” she further explained.

    Mrs Kate Biney this is to ensure no cancellation occurs because most candidates are not in to cheat and must not be made to pay for the actions and inactions of a few recalcitrant ones. She further revealed that the invigilators will not be retained in a particular class for the full tenure of the examinations but will be rotated.

    Mrs Kate Biney revealed that the candidates have been well prepared for the examinations ahead.

    “Even when there was a strike, candidates were going to school in mufti and teachers met to teach them and they were doing peer teaching as well.
    In my catchment area, Nana Brempon, Coba Yalley and the Effia area even when the schools were locked the pupils were there being prepared. The problem is the perception of “apor” (leakage) so I conditioned them that the “apor” is the past questions and the more they kept on solving them it leaves them better prepared;” she emphasised.

  • GH¢500,000 damages: Sammy Gyamfi is now repenting – NAPO’s lawyer

    The lawyer of Energy Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Baffour Awuah, has taken a swipe at the National Communication Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, after a court in Accra slapped him (Gyamfi) with GH¢500, 000 damages.

    Sammy Gyamfi was ordered to pay GH¢500,000 damages to Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (NAPO) by the General Jurisdiction High Court (12) on Thursday, October 14.

    This comes after the court, which was presided over by Justice Charles Gyamfi Danquah, ruled in favour of the minister on a defamation suit he filed in 2019 against Sammy Gyamfi.

    Dr. Opoku Prempah, when he was the education minister, sued the NDC communicator for alleging that one of the suspects arrested in connection with the kidnapping of two Canadian girls in Kumasi, Seidu Mba, was his (Dr. Prempah’s) errand boy.

    Speaking on the matter in an Asempa Radio interview monitored by GhanaWeb, Lawyer Baffour Awuah said that the GH¢500,000 damages slapped on Sammy Gyamfi is making him repent.

    He added that the punishment given to Sammy Gyamfi should serve as a lesson to politicians in Ghana who are fond of making unguarded statements against their opponents.

    “Today, I listen to Sammy Gyamfi and from his pronouncement, I sensed that he is changing. Let me commend him. If cases like these continue in our courts, it will make our politicians mindful of their utterances in the public space.

    “The reason why I am saying this is that Sammey Gyamfi always speaks without polishing his words. He always uses harsh words without excuses. They (politicians) to court and say my lord and after coming out of the court, you hear them denigrating the judges.

    “But now I observe that his (Sammy Gyamfi) utterances are changing because GH¢500,000 is not a small amount of money so it will make you change,” he said in Twi

  • Energy Ministry focused on scaling up clean cooking Mto protect the environment – Dr Opoku Prempeh

    Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has revealed that his outfit remains focused on pursuing policies and programmes that will scale up clean cooking.

    One of the many projects the Energy Ministry is working on to aid in solving the country’s environmental problems is clean cooking technologies, which includes the use of cleaner fuels and energy-efficient modern stoves.

    Participating in the Clean Cooking Forum at the Kempinski Gold Hotel in Accra on October 11, 2022, Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, explained that Ghana needs to turn its attention to the efficient exploitation of natural resources.

    In his remarks, he also noted that local capacity is required to support the growth of the clean cooking industry.

    “We must do this with urgency, and we must do this now. The clean cooking agenda is central in our national objectives. Ghana will continue to be a leading voice in promoting clean cooking technologies,” the Minister added.

    According to Dr Opoku Prempeh, the Energy Ministry and the Energy Commission are collaborating to “provide a platform for second-cycle schools to develop interest in research and development and innovating renewable energy and clean cooking solutions for the Ghanaian market and beyond.”

    On her part, CEO & Founder of Planet Green Africa, Mwayi Kampesi, also emphasised the need to embrace clean cooking now.

    “Take action now. Clean cooking is an urgency that needs to be acted on now,” she said. 

    During the forum, the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) launched a partnership to promote financial innovation and investment to deliver greater levels of finance to clean cooking solutions. 

    Both organizations will focus in particular on markets in Africa and Asia, where the need for clean cooking is particularly acute.

    In attendance at the forum were the wife of Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Samira Bawumia, CEO of Mawazo Institute, Fiona Moejes, CEO of Sistema Bio, Alex Eaton, Clean Cooking Alliance’s Gathoni Kimani, among others.

    On September 6, 2022, the Ministry of Energy launched the result-based Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for the development program with funding support from the World Bank. 

    The objective of the programme is to provide government interventions that would accelerate the switch from unclean fuels to LPG. This is to help the government to achieve the goal of 50 per cent access by 2030.

     

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Energy Ministry pushes for investment in clean cooking industry

    Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the energy minister, has revealed that the ministry is creating a National Clean Cooking Strategy and Investment Prospectus to advance the sector.

    The World Bank-backed initiative is anticipated to be finished and deployed by the end of this year.

    According to the World Bank, the lack of access to clean cooking is one of the reasons why “16,000 people die prematurely from air pollution every year” in Ghana.
    Furthermore, according to Sustainable Energy for All, it might take the nation 50 years to completely switch from using wood and charcoal to clean fuels.

    Speaking at the opening plenary of the 2022 Global Clean Cooking Forum held in Accra, the minister said his outfit is also partnering with other leading stakeholders to expand the clean cooking market in the country and scale-up access.

    He added that such pragmatic interventions will keep the clean cooking industry on track for investment, scaling and commercialising.

    “It is my earnest hope that these documents will be completed and launched by the end of the year. The Ministry of Energy is central to the development of a vibrant and sustainable clean cooking sector in Ghana,” he said.

    The Global Clean Cooking Forum allows for deliberation on key political and technological counter-measures to curb the environmental and socio-economic threats of over reliance and uncontrolled exploitation of natural resources, especially woody biomass, for cooking while increasing access in line with national, regional, and global commitments.

    “We need effective coordination and transparent accounting systems that are internationally acceptable to unlock the enormous investment and financing opportunities available for the clean cooking sector,” the minister told the global participants.

    He also reiterated government’s commitment to distribute 3 million improved cookstoves by 2030 under the Carbon-for-Stove project, the largest clean cooking intervention in the ECOWAS region.

    For her part, the Second Lady, Samira Bawumia, who doubles as a Global Ambassador for the Clean Cooking Alliance, noted that clean cooking is an essential part of achieving the world’s challenge to move to net zero by 2050.

    “Emission reductions have to go hand-in-hand with efforts to ensure clean energy access for all by 2030. It will take sound public policies, a holistic approach, and long-term commitment from all development actors.

    Reducing cooking emissions is critical to reducing forest degradation, improving health, empowering women and children, protecting the environment, and helping achieve numerous other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” she added.

    She said it is also important to integrate and involve women in the design and production of locally appropriate clean cooking technologies.

    CEO of Clean Cooking Alliance, Dymphna van der Lans, also called for collective efforts to change the narratives through integrating and scaling up access globally.

    She emphasised that providing clean energy to households is critical to achieving global climate and sustainable development goals.

  • Sammy Gyamfi vows to challenge Opoku Prempeh’s GH¢500,000 suit against him

    The National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, has stated that he will be filing a notice of appeal and an application for stay of execution to challenge a decision of the High Court that went against him.

    Sammy Gyamfi had been dragged to court by the Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, for alleging that one of the suspects arrested in connection with the kidnapping of some two Canadian girls in Kumasi, Seidu Mba, was his (Dr. Prempeh’s) errand boy.

    This was during the period when Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh was the Minister of Education in 2009.

    After years in court, the General Jurisdiction High Court (12) in Accra, presided over by Justice Charles Gyamfi Danquah on Thursday, October 13, 2022, ruled against Sammy Gyamfi, ordering him to pay GH¢500,000 damages to the complainant, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh.

    In his response in a post on Facebook, Sammie Gyamfi stated that while the court ruled against him, he disagreed with the decision, adding that the court erred.

    “After three years of litigation, the court today held that the said comment was defamatory and consequently awarded damages of GH500,000.00 and cost of GH50,000.00 against me.

    “It is my considered view that the honorable court erred as its decision is contrary to the evidence that was put before the court. More importantly, I hold the view that the court’s decision to totally disregard the testimony of my witness, DW1, Mafus Jibril who testified that the said Seidu Mba was in fact the errand boy of Plaintiff and was in his company when he (DW1) was attacked in Manhyia sometime in 2012, constitutes a grave miscarriage of justice,” he wrote.

    He added that he will take up the case in a higher court, hopeful that he will be served justice.

    “Consequently, my lawyers will be filing a notice of appeal and an application for stay of execution to challenge the decision of the High Court forthwith. It’s my hope that justice will be served,” he added.

    Commenting on his victory, the Minister of Energy, who is also the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, issued a statement to express his happiness about the outcome of the case.

    “A declaration that the words complained of and published by the defendant and contained in paragraph 14 herein are defamatory of the Plaintiff’s character.

    “An order of the honourable court directed at the defendant to publish an unqualified retraction and an apology with the same prominence of the defamatory words received within seven days after the judgment.

    “An order of the honourable court for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, his agents, assigns, servants and any person claiming authority from the defendant from further making/or publishing any defamatory words against the Plaintiff.

    “The sum of One million Ghana Cedis (GHS1,000,000) in damages for the defamation,” the statement said.

     

  • Energy minister wins GH¢500,000 defamation suit against Sammy Gyamfi

    The National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, has been ordered to pay GH¢500,000 damages to the Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, by the General Jurisdiction High Court (12) in Accra.

    This comes after the court, which was presided over by Justice Charles Gyamfi Danquah, ruled in favour of the minister on a defamation suit he filed in 2019 against Sammy Gyamfi.

    Dr. Opoku Prempah, when he was the education minister, sued the NDC communicator for alleging that one of the suspects arrested in connection with the kidnapping of two Canadian girls in Kumasi, Seidu Mba, was his (Dr. Prempah’s) errand boy.

    The energy minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for Manhyia North, asked that the court awards him GH¢1,000,000 in damages against Gyamfi.

    “A declaration that the words complained of and published by the defendant and contained in paragraph 14 herein are defamatory of the Plaintiff’s character.

    “An order of the honourable court directed at the defendant to publish an unqualified retraction and an apology with the same prominence of the defamatory words received within seven days after the judgment.

    “An order of the honourable court for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, his agents, assigns, servants and any person claiming authority from the defendant from further making/or publishing any defamatory words against the Plaintiff.

    “The sum of One million Ghana Cedis (GHS1,000,000) in damages for the defamation,” a declaration statement by the energy minister read.

    During the hearing on Thursday (October 13, 2022), Justice Charles Gyamfi Danquah ruled that Sammy Gyamfi, by his comments, defamed Dr. Opoku Prempeh, asaaseradio.com reports.

    In addition to the GH¢500,000, the judge ordered Sammy Gyamfi to apologise and retract the defamatory statement he made with the same prominence the defamatory words received within seven days after the judgment.

    He also ordered the NDC National Communicator not to make or publish defamatory words against the energy minister.

  • Tighten energy sector cybersecurity space – Energy Minister

    The Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has urged agencies in the energy sector to secure their cyber environments.

    He said the protection of cyberinfrastructure must not be compromised, adding that cyberspace security is crucial in a time when information technology is widely used for development and many types of crimes.

    Dr. Prempeh said this at a consultative meeting on the establishment of a Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) for the energy sector under the auspices of the Cyber Security Authority (CSA) in Accra on Wednesday.

    According to Dr. Prempeh, the consultation meeting was planned in advance of the Electricity Company of Ghana’s most recent cybersecurity issues, which had an impact on the overall architecture of electricity vending machines.

    He stated that the ECG challenge should serve as a wake-up call for all agencies, urging them to increase their efforts in cyber defense and work effectively with the Cyber Security Authority for efficient surveillance.

    He emphasized the financial difficulties the country would face if the energy sector’s Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) was not protected.

    “As sector Minister, I recognize the need for effective cybersecurity control in the energy sector. This will help us quickly detect and prevent potential cyber incidents and minimize their impacts, even when they occur,” he said.

    Dr. Prempeh added that, in the context of the global energy sector, Ghana’s energy sector infrastructure is not impervious to cyber-attacks, necessitating deliberate efforts to combat such crimes because the crippling and destruction of the infrastructure would have a catastrophic effect on our country’s economy.
    He urged the agencies to work in tandem with the Cyber Security Authority to prevent future security breaches.

    Source:ghanaweb.com

  • 50% of Ghanaians to have LPG access by 2030 – Energy Minister

    The government is implementing a National Liquified Petroleum Gas Promotion Programme to ensure that at least 50% of Ghanaians have access to LPG by 2030 as part of measures to mitigate climate change.

    The Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, who disclosed this at the opening of the 3rd West African LPG Conference and Expo in Accra on Monday said the NLPGPP is an enhancement of the erstwhile Rural LPG Promotion Programme (RLPGPP), with an emphasis on commercial and industrial use.

    He said the LPG sector offers a compelling way to support Africa’s industrialisation drive while leveraging the switch to cleaner energy sources, adding that, it would require joint efforts from academia, business, and the government to carefully drive West Africa to maximize the economic benefits along the entire LPG value chain.

    Dr Opoku Prempeh noted that although the usage of LPG as a household fuel has grown in several West African nations since the early 1990s, the average per capita consumption is still low by global standards.

    The Minister was hopeful that, “after detailed discussions via this forum on the promotion of LPG through policies and national legislation in West Africa, LPG consumption might be greatly boosted in the region.”

    The 3-day conference and Expo is aimed at reaching an agreement on making LPG available at an attractive price in the West African Markets and attracting the requisite investments for LPG storage and distribution infrastructure.

  • LPG consumption rises to 36.9% – NPA boss

    Liquid petroleum gas (LPG) has increased from being a key source of cooking fuel from 24.5 percent in 2017 to 36.9 percent in 2021, according to NPA Chief Executive Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid.

    According to him, regulatory interventions focused on rural LPG promotions to distribute free cylinders, intensified public education on safe LPG usage, infrastructural development, improvement in supply, distribution, and LPG pricing structure are to blame for the rise in the adoption rate of gas as a primary source of cooking fuel.

    Speaking at the 3rd West Africa LPG Conference and Expo under the theme ‘Toward Making LPG the Clean Fuel of West Africa’, the NPA boss said the objective of government is to ensure at least 50 percent penetration by 2050.

    Dr. Abdul-Hamid said even though Ghana had made gains in LPG consumption over the past five years, there are challenges which have threatened sustainability of the LPG market in Ghana

    “… Challenges such as slow uptake in particularly low-income areas, affordability, accessibility, non-compliance with safety requirements by some operators, old and unsafe cylinders, among others, have threatened sustainability of the LPG market in Ghana.

    “To remedy the situation, the government of Ghana in October 2017 launched the National LPG Promotion Policy with the objective of ensuring that at least 50 percent of Ghanaians have access to LPG for domestic, commercial and industrial use by 2030. The Policy is to be driven by a new marketing and distribution model, the ‘Cylinder Recirculation Model’ (CRM),” he emphasised

    On his part, the Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, said the LPG industry presents an attractive solution to leverage the shift to cleaner energy sources while promoting Africa’s industrialisation agenda.

    “And I believe it will take collective efforts from academia, the industry and government to prudently push West Africa to maximise economic gains across the entire LPG value chain,” he added.

  • Multi-billion petroleum resources risk been stranded – Deputy Energy Minister

    According to Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Energy, Ghana stands a serious risk of having multibillion dollar oil and gas assets left stranded as a result of decreased funding for fossil fuel-related initiatives as the globe switches to greener energy sources.

    His deputy Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer spoke on his behalf, and he said that among the many serious threats to Ghana’s expanding oil industry are the sharp decline in western funding for fossil fuel-related projects and the revision of business plans at exploration and production companies that are leaning toward renewable energy.

    “There exists a real risk of stranded assets owing to Ghana’s vast unexploited oil and gas reserves,” he said in a speech read on his behalf at the maiden Africa Energy Conference in Accra.

    Notwithstanding this, he declared that the country still regards its crude as a resource vital for national development and the very medium it can use to fund its way to net-zero status.

    Ghana, which has been producing oil for over 10 years now, holds huge untapped reserves in the Volta basin with Keta in the east and Cape Three Points in the west, among others. These resources – which government fears could be left stranded in the global energy transition process and drive toward renewables – have potentials to transform the economy if expeditiously and effectively exploited.

    Although critical, he said, the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources – as well as cost implications of technology required to effectively harness same – renders renewables incapable of satisfying base-load demands compared to fossil fuels and other conventional energy sources.

    For Ghana and many other African nations, natural gas has been identified as the transition fuel of choice; a conclusion that the minister says necessitates a continuation of responsible oil and gas exploration and production.

    Also noteworthy is the fact that petroleum products will remain a need for some decades in spite of the global shift away from fossil fuels.

    In response to this reality and in line with Ghana’s ambition of becoming a hub for refined petroleum products in the West African sub-region and beyond by the year 2030, Dr. Opoku Prempeh said: “We have by statute launched the Petroleum Hub project”.

    The hub will feature three refineries – each with a minimum production capacity of 300,000 barrels per day, five petrochemical plants, and industrial and storage infrastructure.

    So far, 20,000 acres of land has been secured in the Jomoro Municipality of the Western Region of Ghana for this project.

    Ghana, he declared, is therefore “open to investments in the Hub. Factors like the central location of Ghana and access to vibrant shipping routes which provide easy access to regional markets make the Hub project the very viable.

    “Furthermore, Ghana has seen the need to develop a National Energy Transition Plan to guide its journey toward attaining net-zero status at a pace realistic to its peculiar circumstances.”

    Ghana’s plan, Dr. Opoku Prempeh explains, is informed by both available and prospective energy sources, accessible financing and other factors.

    “I am glad to hint to you that by end of this month the plan will be out-doored.”

    Local production of solar batteries

    Ghana discovered lithium – a key raw material for the solar and electric vehicles industries – in commercial quantities in the Volta, Western and Ashanti Regions during 2017, with Dr. Opoku Prempeh now revealing that the country is bent on exploring the prospects of using it to become a solar battery manufacturer in a value-addition drive.

    “Ghana’s recent discovery of high-grade lithium is an achievement government intends to leverage on in exploring the real possibility of manufacturing solar batteries locally,” he said.

    He added that the naturally occurring sunshine has also become a commodity which African countries must position themselves to fully harness.

    “As we embrace the present opportunity of exploiting energy sources readily available to us, I urge African states to also plan around energy sources that will be available and accessible 20-30 years from now, and to start investing in the development of same.”

    In determining which energy source to invest in, nations ought to consider the security of supply, affordability of energy source and sustainability of the energy source. Nations also ought to explore new industries or policies to diversity their economies, he said.

    Energy sustainability must lead to diversification

    For his part, the Chief Executive Officer of VRA, Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, said efforts to promote energy sustainability should result in energy diversification.

    “In recent times, energy sustainability has taken on several meanings and dimensions. However, in our VRA context, energy sustainability means to us the diversification of our power generation portfolio to take advantage of available and sustainable sources of energy – especially in the renewable energy space; namely hydro, thermal, solar, nuclear and wind,” he said in a speech read on his behalf.

    To achieve this, Mr. Antwi-Darkwa said VRA – the country’s largest power producer – initiated a programme that ensures a significant improvement of its operations by including serious business acumen in its power generation, delivery process and customer service.

    Aside from this, he said, the state-owned company has also revolutionised the fundamental structures of its business through digitalisation, creativity and innovation, business sustainability and a work culture pivoted on the mantra of public sector delivery with a private sector mindset.

    “Improving access to energy in a sustainable manner would not only lead to the development of the African continent but also ensure improved quality of educational outcomes, improved health, lower mortality rates and reduced unemployment, and a potential decrease in rural-urban migration,” he further explained.

    Africa Energy Conference

    The Africa Energy Conference’s maiden edition focused on highlighting the infrastructure gap, financing options and energy transition opportunities in the Africa energy sector, and was held under the theme Africa’s energy future – achieving an all-round competitiveness and sustainability to support the continent’s development ambitions.

    The one-day conference is a strategic platform powered by the Business & Financial Times Limited (B&FT) and supported by GCB Bank, Sethi Brothers Ghana Limited, Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST), Volta River Authority (VRA), Arthur Energy Partners and Nuclear Power Ghana.

    It brought together experts and industry players from across Africa to proffer solutions on how governments and the private sector can access financing to bridge the sector’s infrastructure gap, achieve lower emissions and energy transition targets in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

  • Energy Minister promotes offshore oil blocks to investors

    Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the energy minister, is currently on an oil and gas roadshow in Houston, Texas, with top representatives from the Petroleum Commission, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), and GOIL.

    The delegation, which also includes representatives from Base Energy, is in Ghana to promote five open oil blocks.

    These are the Southwest Saltpond block, the Expanded Shallow Water Tano (ESWT) block, the Deep-Water Cape Three Points Block, the Offshore Cape Three Points South Block, and the Shallow Water Cape Three Points Block.

    At a strategic roadshow event that was planned to coincide with the maiden Africa-Houston Energy Summit, the minister said Ghana has four Sedimentary basins of significance to oil and gas: namely the Western, Central, Eastern and Voltaian.

    Dr. Opoku Prempeh said the Western basin has Ghana’s three actively producing deep-water oil and gas fields. Dr. Prempeh added that the Voltaian basin is onshore and the remaining two are largely offshore. Most parts of the offshore basins are open for E&P activities.

    “GNPC is currently exploring the Voltaian Basin to establish its prospects, following which the basin will be open to investors,” he said

    The minister, who doubles as Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, told investors that the Jubilee Field became Ghana’s first commercial deep-water discovery which further deepened the interest for deep-water exploration in Ghana.

    “Having fast-tracked development of the Jubilee Field, first commercial oil production commenced in December 2010 – barely 40 months from discovery,” he added.

    “Two new fields (Tweneboa-Enyenra-Ntomme (TEN) Field and Sankofa-Gye Nyame Field) have since been brought onstream for production, in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

    “The three producing fields currently provide an average daily production of about 150,000 bbl/d from a peak production rate of approximately 200,000 bbl/d.”

    He further emphasised Ghana’s stable political and business climate, its highly prospective sedimentary basin with commensurate high exploration success rate, its guaranteed and attractive fiscal terms and the country’s well-defined legal and regulatory framework.

    Opoku Prempeh also highlighted the availability of existing architecture to support infrastructure-led exploration, which shortens the time between exploration and production. He thus urged investors to find in Ghana a friend and partner.

    The minister also participated in a roundtable discussion with colleague ministers at the Africa-Houston Energy Summit, and it is expected that he will be heavy on the investment opportunities in Ghana’s upstream petroleum space.

  • Ghana has the best investment potential in the sub-region – Dr. Amin Adam

    Deputy Minister of Energy, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam has touted investment potentials in the energy sector as one of the best in the sub-region, hence the need for investors to turn their attention to Ghana.

    He made this call when he gave an addresse on behalf of Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, at the US-Ghana EXPO RoundTable B2B matching organized under the auspices of the US-Ghana Chamber of Commerce with support from Ghana’s Ministry of Trade and Industry.

    Dr. Amin said Ghana has a lot of untapped hydrocarbon resources, both offshore and onshore, which the sector is seeking to explore and exploit through partnerships with private companies.

    “In Ghana, Exploration and Production (E&P) licenses are awarded through open, transparent and competitive public tender processes. However, E&P licenses may be awarded through direct negotiations without public tender if direct negotiations represent the most efficient manner to achieve optimal exploration, development and production of petroleum resources in a defined area.

    Either way, prospective contractors must have the requisite technical and financial abilities to undertake petroleum activities,” he explained.

    The Karaga Member of Parliament also said Ghana aspires to become a hub for refined petroleum products in the West African sub-region and beyond, culminating in the establishment of the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation (PHDC).

    He said the hub will host infrastructure such as refineries, port terminal facilities, storage facilities, petrochemical plants as well as Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals with a network of pipelines.

    He, therefore, called on investors to capitalize on the opportunity this presents.

    Touching on the power sector, the Deputy Minister highlighted the plethora of opportunities in renewable and nuclear spaces.

    “The most important thing we want to do as a Ministry is to ensure the lights are for economic growth and therefore, we ask that your partner us strategically in the power value chain to ensure this” he noted.

    These insightful Trade and Investment roundtable discussions on US-Ghana investment opportunities are part of government’s overarching strategy of boosting investments for economic growth as the country seeks recovery economically from the debilitating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian-Ukraine war.

  • Africans are yet to enjoy benefits of their oil and gas resources – Energy Minister

    Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Ghana’s Energy Minister, participated in a roundtable discussion at the Julia Ideson Library in Houston for the ceremonial opening of the first Houston Africa Energy Summit with Heads of State, other Ministers, and Senior Executives of international oil and gas firms.

    Discussions were led by Mayor Sylvester Turner and focused on the exploration and growth of the hydrocarbon industry in Africa, the difficulties that African nations face in attracting funding and investment, and what African nations can do to entice major oil and gas companies to operate there for the benefit of both parties.

    The meeting also looked at renewable power generation and various innovations including carbon capture and storage, all within the overarching context of the current energy transition.

    During discussions on decarbonization, the minister remarked that Africans are yet to enjoy the benefits of their oil and gas resources, therefore as leaders, they are going to mindfully engage in cleaner ways of exploiting the hydrocarbons, with assistance from carbon capture technologies.

    Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh also told the gathering that, the energy transition conversation presents enormous opportunities to investors within Africa’s energy value chain especially as we aim to embark on a rigorous gas monetization drive.

    He narrowed this to Ghana’s current quest to see investors come and invest in E&P acreages and farm-in opportunities as well as the numerous opportunities in our power sector.

    As African energy decision makers, the minister was hopeful that we shall all, in the interest of our respective citizens, derive maximum economic benefits from our God-given resources.

  • Energy Minister promotes Ghana’s offshore oil blocks to investors

    Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the energy minister, is in Houston, Texas in the United States as part of an oil and gas roadshow with top representatives from the Petroleum Commission, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), and GOIL.

    The delegation, which also includes representatives from Base Energy, aims to publicize five prospective oil blocks off the coast of Ghana.

    They are the Cape Three Points Blocks in Deep Water, Offshore Cape Three Points South Block, and Shallow Water.

    It also contains the Expanded Shallow Water Tano (ESWT) Block and the Southwest Saltpond Block.

    At a strategic roadshow event which was planned to coincide with the maiden Africa-Houston Energy Summit on September 21, 2022, Dr. Prempeh said Ghana has four Sedimentary basins of significance to oil and gas namely; Western, Central, Eastern and the Voltaian.

    Opoku Prempeh said the Western basin has Ghana’s three actively producing deepwater oil and gas fields and added that the Voltaian basin is onshore and the remaining two are largely offshore.

    “Most parts of the offshore basins are open for E&P activities. GNPC is currently exploring the Voltaian Basin to establish its prospectivity, following which the basin will be open to investors” he explained.

    The Minister who is also Member of Parliament for Manhyia South told investors that the Jubilee Field became Ghana’s first commercial deepwater discovery which further deepened the interest for deepwater exploration in Ghana.

    “Having fast-tracked the development of the Jubilee Field, first commercial oil production commenced in December 2010, barely 40 months from discovery” he added.

    He continued, “two new fields (Tweneboa-Enyenra-Ntomme (TEN) Field and Sankofa – Gye Nyame Field) have since been brought onstream for production in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

    The three producing (3) fields currently provide an average daily production of about 150,000 bbl/d from a peak production rate approximately 200,000 bbl/d.”

    The Energy Minister stated that Ghana’s stable political and business climate, its highly prospective sedimentary basin with commensurate high exploration success rate, its guaranteed and attractive fiscal terms and the well-defined legal and regulatory framework.

    Opoku Prempeh also highlighted the availability of existing architecture to support infrastructure-led exploration, which shortens the time between exploration and production. He thus urged investors to find in Ghana a friend and partner.

    Meanwhile, the Minister will on Thursday participate in a roundtable discussion together with colleague Ministers at the Africa-Houston Energy Summit.

    It is expected that he will be heavy on the investment opportunities in Ghana’s upstream petroleum sector.

  • Energy Minister promotes Ghana’s offshore oil blocks in Texas

    Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the energy minister for Ghana, is in Houston, Texas, USA, for an oil and gas roadshow with some senior representatives from the Petroleum Commission, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, and GOIL.
    Five accessible oil blocks offshore of Ghana are being promoted.

    The group, which also includes representatives from Base Energy, is promoting the oil blocks that are accessible off the coast of Ghana.

    They are the Cape Three Points Blocks in Deep Water, Offshore Cape Three Points South Block, and Shallow Water.

    It also contains the Expanded Shallow Water Tano Block and the Southwest Saltpond Block.

    At the strategic roadshow event, which was planned to coincide with the maiden Africa-Houston Energy Summit, Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, said Ghana has four sedimentary basins of significance to oil and gas, namely; Western, Central, Eastern, and the Voltaian.

    He said the Western basin has Ghana’s three actively producing deepwater oil and gas fields.

    Dr. Prempeh added that the Voltaian basin is onshore and the remaining two are largely offshore. Most parts of the offshore basins are open for Exploration and Production activities. He said GNPC is currently exploring the Voltaian Basin to establish its prospectivity, following which the basin will be open to investors.

    The Minister told investors that Ghana’s stable political and business climate, its highly prospective sedimentary basin with commensurate high exploration success rate, its guaranteed and attractive fiscal terms and the well-defined legal and regulatory framework are key incentives to consider investing in Ghana.

    He also highlighted the availability of an existing architecture to support infrastructure-led exploration, which shortens the time between exploration and production.

    Dr. Prempeh urged investors to “find in Ghana a friend and partner saying the country is ready to provide the needed support to ensure the success of their operations”.

  • Africa is yet to enjoy full benefits of its oil and gas resources – Energy Minister

    Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh has asserted that African countries endowed with oil and gas are yet to reap the full harvest these resources provide.

    Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh made the comments on Friday, September 23, 2022, at the official opening of the inaugural Houston Africa Energy Summit last week, where he joined Heads of States, colleague Ministers and Senior Executives of international oil and gas companies for a round- table discussion at the Julia Ideson Library in Houston.

    The round-table discussion, hosted by Mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, enabled discussions on Africa’s hydrocarbon industry exploration and expansion, the challenges of African countries’ securing funding and investment, and what African countries can do to attract big oil and gas companies to exploit resources for mutual benefit.

    Touching on the subject of decarbonization (the reduction of carbon), Ghana’s Energy Minister remarked that “Africans are yet to enjoy the benefits of their oil and gas resources.”

    He proposed that “we are going to mindfully engage in cleaner ways of exploiting the hydrocarbons, with assistance from carbon capture technologies” as a way to rectify the anomaly.

    “As African energy decision makers, I am hopeful that we shall all, in the interest of our respective citizens, derive maximum economic benefits from our God-given resources,” the minister added.

    As of 2021, Nigeria was the leading oil producer in Africa, according to Statista.com. Oil production amounted to roughly 78 million metric tons in the country.

    Libya, Algeria, and Angola followed, each with an output above 50 million metric tons.

    In the same year, the overall production of oil in Africa, including crude oil, shale oil, oil sands, and NGLs, reached 345 million metric tons, 4.5 percent more than in 2020.

    Also, reports by Statista.com reveal that in the first quarter of 2022, Ghana’s revenue from oil amounted to around 984 billion Ghanaian cedis (GHS), roughly 117.5 million U.S. dollars.

    Meanwhile, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh believes that the recent energy transition conversation presents enormous opportunities to investors within Africa’s energy value chain, especially as “we aim to embark on a rigorous gas monetization drive.”

    He revealed that currently, Ghana is working to win investors to check out the country’s Exploration & Production (E&P) acreages and farm-in opportunities, as well as the numerous opportunities in the power sector.

    The West African country is also looking at a National Energy

    Transition Plan to reduce carbon emissions.

    Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh is expected to bring a fresh perspective to the table as the Summit enabled world leaders to discuss renewable power generation and various innovations including carbon capture and storage, all within the overarching context of the current energy transition.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Energy Minister sells Ghana’s oil and gas investment potential to investors in America

    At an oil and gas roadshow in Houston, Texas in the United States, Ghana’s Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, underlined the nation’s readiness for investors in the oil and gas sector.

    The Minister reiterated Ghana‘s stable political and business climate, highly prospective sedimentary basin with correspondingly high exploration success rate, guaranteed and attractive fiscal terms, and in fact, the well-defined legal and regulatory framework at a strategic roadshow event held on Wednesday, September 21, 2022.

    According to him, the country possesses the infrastructure needed to facilitate exploration driven by infrastructure, which reduces the period between exploration and production.

    The Ghanaian delegation attending the event will be highlighting the prospects of the Deep-Water Cape Three Points Block, Offshore Cape Three Points South Block and Shallow Water Cape Three Points Block.

    It also includes the Southwest Saltpond Block as well as the Expanded Shallow Water Tano (ESWT) Block.

    While in the United States of America, the Minister will attend the maiden Africa-Houston Summit involving colleague sector ministers from across the world where he deepen these investment-driven engagements.

    Read Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh’s statement below:

    I am currently leading a Ghanaian delegation on an oil and gas roadshow in Houston, Texas in the United States. Supported by the Petroleum Commission, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, GOIL and Base Energy, the Ministry of Energy is seeking to promote offshore oil blocks and farm-in opportunities for investment. The visit to Houston coincides with the maiden Africa-Houston Summit involving colleague sector Ministers from across the world.

    The Ghanaian delegation is highlighting the prospects of the Deep-Water Cape Three Points Block, Offshore Cape Three Points South Block and Shallow Water Cape Three Points Block. It also includes the Southwest Saltpond Block as well as the Expanded Shallow Water Tano (ESWT) Block.

    In my remarks at a strategic roadshow event on Wednesday 21st September, 2022, I re-emphasised Ghana’s stable political and business climate, our highly prospective sedimentary basin with its commensurate high exploration success rate, our guaranteed and attractive fiscal terms and indeed, our well defined legal and regulatory framework. I also highlighted the availability of an existing architecture to support infrastructure-led exploration, which shortens the time between exploration and production.

    I am encouraged by the interest shown in Ghana’s upstream petroleum space, evident in the probing questions on Ghana’s petroleum systems by the investors at the event. I will continue to deepen these investment-driven engagements at the Africa-Houston Energy Summit, especially as I will join colleague Ministers at a round-table discussion.

    I am hopeful that the Ghanaian delegation which includes two Members of Parliament from both sides of the House, through these engagements will clinch the necessary deals to drive the needed economic growth, for the progress and prosperity of Ghanaians.

  • Energy Minister advertises Ghana’s offshore oil blocks in Houston

    Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has led a Ghanaian delegation on an oil and gas roadshow in Houston, Texas in the United States of America.

    The Ministry of Energy, supported by the Petroleum Commission, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, GOIL and Base Energy, is promoting Ghana’s offshore oil blocks and farm-in opportunities for investment.

    Also, the Ghanaian delegation includes two Members of Parliament from both Majority and Minority sides of the House.

    The Ghanaian delegation in its engagement on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, highlighted  prospects of the Deep-Water Cape Three Points Block, Offshore Cape Three Points South Block and Shallow Water Cape Three Points Block. 

    It also included the Southwest Saltpond Block as well as the Expanded Shallow Water Tano (ESWT) Block.

    In his remarks, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh spoke of the country’s “stable political and business climate, its highly prospective sedimentary basin with its commensurate high exploration success rate, guaranteed and attractive fiscal terms as well as its defined legal and regulatory framework.”

    The Energy Minister also used the opportunity to reveal the availability of an existing architecture to support infrastructure-led exploration, which shortens the time between exploration and production.

    His comments drew the needed attention from prospective investors for the country’s upstream petroleum space.

    He is optimistic that through these engagements, the ministry will secure the necessary deals to drive the country’s needed economic growth.

    Due to the possible gains made, Dr Opoku Prempeh has pledged to “deepen these investment-driven engagements at the Africa-Houston Energy Summit, especially as I will join colleague Ministers at a round-table discussion.”

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • DG of SIGA commends BOST’s board and management for their performance in turning things around

    The Board and Management of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transport Co. Ltd (BOST) have been commended by the Director-General of the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), Ambassador Edward Boateng, for posting a profit after tax of GH160.7 million for the 2021 financial year, compared to a loss of GH291 million in 2020.

    He announced this at the first annual general meeting of BOST for 2021, which was attended by many officials, including the ministers of energy, public enterprises, and greater Accra, to name a few.

    Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Minister for Energy, praised the company during his remarks at the AGM for its excellent performance over the course of the past year.

    He also said the government was sparing no effort at ensuring that BOST was resourced to hold stocks to fulfil its mandate.

    He lauded SIGA for the support to the SOEs and ensuring that they operated profitably and adhered to good corporate governance practices.

    He said the era of government investing millions of cedis into the SOEs for them to make losses was a thing of the past now and that government was looking forward to the SOEs to make profits so they could pay dividends to the state.

    Ambassador Edward Boateng on his part, further reiterated government’s commitment towards supporting SOEs growth, which is demonstrated by the formation of the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA).

    As a central oversight body, SIGA remains dedicated to a continued partnership with BOST on its turnaround strategy.

    “Going forward, I remain optimistic that BOST on this new path will continue to create a lasting value for all its stakeholders, inching ever closer to realising its vision of being the number one fuel and logistics company in the sub-region, he added.

  • Amin Adam entices investors to invest in Ghana’s energy industry

    The Deputy Energy Minister, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, encouraged investors in Philadelphia to invest in the energy sector on Friday in an effort by the Ministry of Energy to maintain Ghana’s energy industry’s favorable positioning in the eyes of investors for cooperative projects and economic progress.

    At the US-Ghana EXPO Roundtable B2B Matchmaking, which was sponsored by the US-Ghana Chamber of Commerce and supported by the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Ghana, he made this call on behalf of sector minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh.

    According to Dr. Amin, Ghana has a significant amount of offshore and onshore hydrocarbon resources that are undeveloped and that the sector is working to discover and utilize through collaborations with private enterprises.

    “In Ghana, Exploration and Production (E&P) licenses are awarded through open, transparent and competitive public tender processes. However, E&P licenses may be awarded through direct negotiations without public tender if direct negotiations represent the most efficient manner to achieve optimal exploration, development and production of petroleum resources in a defined area. Either way, prospective contractors must have the requisite technical and financial abilities to undertake petroleum activities,” he said.

    The Karaga Member of Parliament also said Ghana aspires to become a hub for refined petroleum products in the West African sub-region and beyond, culminating in the establishment of the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation (PHDC).

    He said the hub will host infrastructure such as refineries, port terminal facilities, storage facilities, petrochemical plants as well as Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals with a network of pipelines. He asked investors to capitalize on the opportunity this presents.

    In the power sector, the Deputy Minister highlighted the plethora of opportunities in the renewable and nuclear spaces.

    “The most important thing we want to do as a Ministry is to ensure the lights are for economic growth and, therefore, we ask that you partner us strategically in the power value chain to ensure this,” he added.

  • State-owned businesses may produce value with the appropriate leadership – NAPO

    Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Energy, has praised the Bulk Oil Storage and Distribution Company Limited (BOST) for turning around its financial and operational fortunes.

    This follows the state-owned company’s increase in profits to GH 161 million in 2021 following a deficit of GH 291 million in the previous year.

    Dr. Opoku Prempeh stated the development proves that state-owned businesses can provide value via effective leadership and management to support national development while speaking at the company’s inaugural Annual General Meeting.

    “The transformation is indeed massive, as evidenced in improved operational efficiency. This is the path to go if we should attain the path of State-Owned Enterprises contributing to the fiscal policy of government for its national growth and development agenda. Imagine if 100 SOEs each made GH¢150million net income,” Dr. Opoku Prempeh said.

    The Minister disclosed that the improvement in BOST’s revenue was due to a core business strategy and an increase in petrol and diesel sales revenue of about 83 percent.

    He added that an amount of US$611 million paid from the US$624 million debt accumulated in 2017 was generated from BOST’s internally generated funds.

    The sector minister also lauded the management of the state-owned firm for the effective utilisation of revenue generated from the nine pesewas BOST margin on petroleum products.

    Using funds from the petroleum levy, he explained, fuel depots were renovated and repaired, tanks were decommissioned, four river boats were updated for fuel transportation on the Volta Lake, and the Akosombo jetty was improved.

    The remaining work includes upgrading and replacing the loading arms, pumps, and valves at all of the depots, including those at the Bolgatanga Petroleum Export Depot, Tema-Akosombo Petroleum Product Depot, and Buipe-Bolgatanga Petroleum Product Depot.

    Comparing the numbers, I also observed BOST cutting its administrative costs from GH538 million in 2016 with 349 employees to GH212 million in 2021 with 487 employees.

    The energy minister also commended BOST for deploying cost-cutting measures in its operations.

    “Genuine administrative costs grow upward and not downward due to factors like inflation among others but I would like to commend management for the prudence that resulted in these massive reductions in the cost of operations.

    The company is spending less while achieving more for the government and people of Ghana; from the face of the record, this is an impressive performance that the company’s board and management need to be commended for,” the energy minister stated.

    In his closing remarks, Dr. Opoku Prempeh emphasized the BOST of government’s commitment to turning the organization into a successful one.

    “I am aware of recent BOST news in the media, but I am also aware of the political economy surrounding the company’s operations.
    “We are not falling for those who wish to activate the reverse button,” he emphasized. “Government is also aware of the turf-war to get the corporation derailed.

  • BOST praised by the energy minister for posting a profit in 2021

    Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST) has received praise from Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Energy, for the business’s historic financial turnaround in 2021.

    Dr. Opoku Prempeh praised BOST’s profit in the 2021 Financial Year during his remarks at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of BOST on September 14, 2022.

    He said that the company’s GHS164 million profit before tax in 2021, a huge increase from the GHS2 million it achieved the previous year, demonstrates that BOST will “perform its responsibility of ensuring the nation’s fuel security” with the appropriate leadership in place.

    “This is also happening at a time, where the company is making assiduous efforts at extricating itself from a quagmire of protracted debts”,

    Making a profit of GHS126 million before taxes as opposed to the prior statistics of GHS2 million is an impressive accomplishment, he said.

    Ekow Hackman, the board chairman of BOST, also stated that the business is on the correct track to declare dividends in the upcoming years.

    To ensure that we carry out our corporate mission and provide value to the shareholder, “passion, performance, and perfection remain at the core of our business.”

  • Energy Minister swears-in members of ECG Board

    The Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, on Tuesday, June 28, swore-in additional members of the Board of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

    Managing Director of ECG, Mr. Samuel Dubik Mahama, and Mrs. Nana Nsafoah join the board sworn into office on Thursday, July 29, 2021, by the Energy Minister.

    Unlike Mrs. Nana Nsafoah, Mr. Samuel Dubik Mahama was already a member of the Board in the capacity as a non-executive Director at ECG, before his appointment as Managing Director by the Board of Directors which took effect on May 16, 2022.

    In recognition of his new portfolio, Samuel Dubik Mahama had to be sworn-in again, according to Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, who is optimistic Mrs. Nana Nsafoah will bring her A game to the running of ECG.

    “This swearing-in comes on the back of the appointment by H.E the President, of Mr. Mahama who was originally a member of the Board as Managing Director replacing Mr. Kwame Agyeman-Budu who has retired.

    “Mrs. Nsafoah thus becomes the fresh face on the Board. I believe she will bring her vast experiences to the benefit of the company,” the Minister wrote in a Facebook post.

    During the swearing-in ceremony, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh discussed with the board critical matters pertaining to the growth of the ECG.

    The management of the Electricity Company of Ghana has indicated that the company is overburdened with operational costs.

    To ensure the existence and efficiency of the company, management has proposed a tariff increment of 148% for electricity.

    http://tigpost.co/2022/06/50000-krobo-customers-being-migrated-to-prepaid-meters-ecg/

    Per reports, General Manager of the Regulatory Management of ECG, Sylvia Noshie, has stressed that “ECG is currently a struggling distribution company that requires urgent support”, hence the need for a full cost recovery tariff proposal.

    Board of ECG

    The Board of the Electricity Company of Ghana is currently chaired by Group CEO of Enterprise Group Limited, Keli Gadzekpo.

    Other members of the Board include; Mr. Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, Madam Maata Opare, Ing. Carlien Dorcas Bou-Chedid, Hon. Frank Annor Dompreh, Dr. Nicholas Kwabena Smart, and Mr. Francis Awua-Kyeremanten Jr.

    Currently, it is unknown whether former ECG Managing Director, Kwame AgyemanBudu, remains a member of the Board – a position he held while in office.

    The Board is to ensure ECG achieves its vision and mission, which is to:

    1. Be financially sustainable and customer focused energy service, and

    2. Provide quality, reliable and safe electricity services to support the growth and development of Ghana.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Matthew Opoku Prempeh swears in two members of ECG Board

    Energy Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh yesterday, Tuesday, 28 June 2022, swore in the Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Mr. Samuel Dubik Mahama and Ms. Naana Nsafoah Sarpong as Members of the Board of the ECG.

    This swearing-in comes on the back of the appointment by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, of Mr. Mahama, who was originally a member of the Board, as Managing Director replacing Mr. Kwame Agyeman-Budu, who has retired.

    Ms. Nsafoah, thus, becomes the fresh face on the Board.

    Dr. Prempeh expressed the belief that she will bring her vast experiences to the benefit of the company.

    The Energy Minister also used the opportunity to discuss with the Board critical matters pertaining to the advancement of the ECG.

    Source:ghanaweb.com

  • Energy Minister, Matthew Opoku Prempeh addresses power crisis

    The Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh is addressing the nation on the recent incidence of power outages in parts of the country.

    Some citizens have raised questions as to whether “dumsor is back” following the intermittent power supply.

    The Minister in his press briefing at the Information Ministry will address this question among others.

     

    Source: MyJoyOnline.com

  • Global teacher status: Ghana ranked 2nd in the world

    Education Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh has disclosed that Ghana ranks second in the world on countries that have streamlined teachers’ living conditions.

    Speaking in an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM’s ”Kokrokoo”, Hon. Opoku Prempeh, also called Napo revealed there was a survey conducted worldwide dubbed ”Global Teacher Status” among 35 countries and Ghana ranked higher.

    This achievement, he said, is due to the great initiatives by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his government for teachers.

    He said President Akufo-Addo, with a good heart for teachers, introduced a program called ”Untrained Teachers For Diploma in Basic Education” (UTDBE) to retrain pupil and untrained teachers, raised the status of teachers holding Certificate A, paid teacher-trainee allowances and also transformed training college into a college of education among other good works aimed at improving the lives of teachers.

    Napo noted that the second-ranking of Ghana on the world map is due to these initiatives and many more that the Akufo-Addo administration has established.

    ”Ghana is second after China worldwide on the Global Teacher Status”, he said.

    Source: Peace FM

  • Lets be humble in our campaign to attract more votes – Matthew Opoku Prempeh

    The Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has urged the electorate in the Ashanti Region not to give former President John Mahama a second chance at the presidency, saying, a vote for John Mahama in the upcoming 2020 general elections will impede the wind of development currently blowing across the Ashanti region.

    Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh who also doubles as the member of parliament for Manhyia South made these remarks during a ceremony to inaugurate the New Patriotic Party campaign team in the Manhyia South constituency in Kumasi, capital of the Ashanti Region.

    The campaign team comprises of thirty members with MP for the constituency, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh and the constituency chairman Mr.Gabriel Anane as co-chairpersons.

    The MP called for the unity and cooperation of the constituency executives and the various pro-NPP groups which will be canvassing for votes for the party and urged the constituency executives to do their homework well to receive external campaign support from well-meaning groups.

    Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh urged the campaign team to take it upon themselves to propagate the good policies of the Akufo-Addo led government to the electorate to enable the NPP sweep about 90% of the popular votes in the constituency.

    Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh recounted when then-president John Dramani Dramani in 2015 painted the region as ungrateful and stalled projects within the Ashanti region; and called on the NPP constituency campaign team to stress the importance of the Nana Akufo-Addo led administration to the developmental needs of the region.

    The function saw in attendance some leading members of the NPP in the region including the regional organizer Mr Francis Adomako, the regional deputy secretary Mr.Salifu Yahaya and other party faithful.

    Source: NET2 Television

  • Mathew Opoku Prempeh retains seat in Manhyia South Constituency

    Minister of Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh has announced delegates have confirmed him again as the Parliamentary Candidate for Manhyia South Constituency.

    “I have just been confirmed, through popular acclamation, as the Manhyia South Constituency New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate for the 7th December elections,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

    He was endorsed through a popular acclamation as he was the only candidate who filed to contest the elections.

    From 2009, Dr Opoku Prempeh has been in Parliament representing the people of Manhyia South.

    Read his Facebook post below:

    I have just been confirmed, through popular acclamation, as the Manhyia South Constituency New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate for the 7th December elections.

    The short but colourful ceremony was attended by all the major stakeholders in the party in the constituency including the Council of Elders, Patrons, Executives, Electoral Area Coordinators and others.

    The various speakers, including Nana Kwaku Duah, the Council of Elders Chairman, acknowledged my efforts in uniting the party and bringing progress to the constituency over the years.

    They gave assurances of their readiness to rally behind me so that our party would increase our votes to help retain the Manhyia South seat.

    I am totally overwhelmed by the massive show of support and the confidence that the party has reposed in me. I am pledging to work harder than ever to enable President Nana Akufo-Addo to renew his mandate and continue to deliver progress for our dear country.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

     

  • No government has ‘spiced up’ education like we have in the last 3 years NAPO brags

    Education Minister, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has professed that since time immemorial no government has been able to make education look attractive to Ghanaians as the NPP government has done.

    According to him, after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) resumed office in 2017, the leadership spearheaded by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo deemed it worthy to make education their priority, hence, the introduction of the well-known Free Senior High School education to give room for all to attend SHS irrespective of their backgrounds.

    He pointed out that President Akufo-Addo has been able to deliver his promise on revamping the educational sector by providing vehicles to MMDCEs, Ministry of Education, education directorates among others to aid their work in a bid to provide quality education.

    The Education Minister stressed that “since 2017, the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has made education his priority and he believes fundamentally that Ghana would only prosper if education prospers and so he believes that opportunity and prosperity would only happen if we get education on a sound footage. …the last three years have witnessed a complete transformation of our educational sector. If it is to do with the infrastructure, we can boldly say since independence no government has put in place infrastructural development that the education is witnessing in the last three years”.

    He made these comments at the Black Stars Square in Accra on Thursday during the distribution of 365 pickup trucks and 493 motorbikes to various districts of the Ghana Education Service (GES) by the Vice President of the Republic, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia.

    Out of the 365 Isuzu pickup trucks distributed, 206 have been allocated to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), 105 to the Ministry of Education and its various agencies. The remaining trucks will be given to some selected Senior High Schools.

    The 493 motorbikes are to aid the work of circuit supervisors in various districts.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com