Government is on course to fulfilling its campaign promise of relocating the operational headquarters of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to the Western Region.

Relocating the GNPC’s headquarters to the Western Region from its current location in Tema was a campaign pledge by the then opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the run-up to the 2016 general elections.

During one of his campaign tours of the region, then opposition leader – Nana Akufo-Addo – told the people of the Western Region that the move would turn the Western Region into an oil production hub for West Africa.

This was revealed at one of the sessions of the 5th National Policy Summit held in Takoradi. It was on the theme: “Making the Best of Ghana’s Oil- The Role of GNPC”.

The summit is a major programme of the Ministry of Information and a public-private initiative by the Universal Merchant Bank (UMB) in collaboration with the Ministry of Information.

The objective was to among other things improve transparency and public access to information, and also mainstream development communication across the public sector.

Addressing the gathering, Chief Finance and Administration Officer of GNPC, Comfort Aniagyei, stressed that government was committed to establishing the operational head office of GNPC in the Western Region.

This was after some participants at the programme had called for clarification and assurances from government on the relocation of the head office to the Western Region.

She revealed that GNPC would soon acquire a land for construction works on the project to commence next year.

“We will soon conclude on the processes for the acquisition of land to begin construction of an office complex for the project in the Western Region. Hopefully next year, construction of the operational head office will begin”, she indicated.

She, however, clarified that the administrative office of GNPC would still remain in Accra.

She pointed out that “currently the state agency has secured an office in Takoradi for the GNPC Foundation”.

The Omahene of Lower Dixcove Traditional Area in the Ahanta West District, Nana Kwasi Agyemang IX, bemoaned the fact that the oil revenue was being used without any direct benefits to people in the Western Region.

He, however, indicated that the Western Regional House of Chiefs was ready to release land for the construction of the GNPC operations head office in the area.