The Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC) organised a one-day working visit for the Ministers responsible for Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, as well as Public Enterprises, Mr Joseph Cudjoe, to its Gas Processing Plant at Atuabo on Thursday, 20th May, 2021.

Accompanying the ministers on this visit were the Director-General of the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Chief Director for Ministry of Public Enterprises, Christina Edmund and Chief Director for Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, Kizito Ballans.

Representing the GNGC was the Chief Executive Officer of the company, Dr Ben Asante and the following members of management: Emmanuel Appiah Essel, Head of Finance, Robert Asmah, Head of Technical Services, Augustina Asare Osei, Head of Government Relations, Robert Lartey, Head of Technical Operations, Stephen Jomo, Head of Commercial Operations and Stephen Donkor, Head of Community Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility.

The purpose of the visit was for the ministers and the Director-General of SIGA to familiarise themselves with the operations of the company and to help strengthen the coordinating roles among the three institutions with regards to their oversight responsibility on the activities of GNGC.

During the visit, Dr Ben Asante briefed the ministers on the history of the company and recounted some interesting developments within the gas sector. He also discussed the infrastructural plans of the company, emphasising significant projects being undertaken by the company.

On his part, the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations stressed on the strategic role being played by the company in the country’s national development agenda and therefore, urged the leadership and staff to eschew complacency but continue with the hard work to build on the status of the company.

In connection with this, he entreated the management of the company to invest in its human capital through training. He also reminded management about the importance of the welfare of staff to the success and reputation of the company. Accordingly, he urged management to adopt and implement policies that would ensure staff cohesion and safety, including a well-sustained pension scheme.

The Minister for Public Enterprises could not hide his excitement at the progress of ongoing work with respect to the Takoradi-Tema Pipeline, the Fertilizer Plant in the Jomoro District, Ghana-Cote d’Ivoire Pipeline, the Gas Act as well as the Gas Master Plan. He noted that the successful completion of these projects would speed up the industrialisation agenda of the government.

At the end of the discussions, the CEO led the delegation on a tour of the Gas Processing Plant to obtain first-hand information on how the company processes raw gas into its various product lines: Lean Gas, LPG, Condensate and Pentanes.