Takoradi, Nov 10, GNA - Ms Betty Bosomtwi-Sam, the Deputy Western Regional Minister, has called on businesses and individuals in the region to adopt proper measures to ensure maximum benefits as the oil fields start operating.

"I wish to remind you that in a few weeks time the country will be producing oil and gas in commercial quantities, and the Western Region will be at the centre of the operation. We need to think about how we shall place ourselves as businesses to benefit from the oil and gas industry", she said.

Ms Bosomtwi-Sam said this at a regional sensitization workshop organized by the Multilateral, Regional and Bi-lateral Division of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) at Takoradi. It was organised for the business community, Civil Society Organizations, Customs Excise and Preventive Service and the Immigration Service.

The workshop was the second in the series and it was intended to start off a national sensitization and information sharing on the processes of the Doha Development negotiations. She said the MOTI was engaged in three parallel negotiation processes at the multilateral, regional and bilateral levels. She lauded the ministry efforts at creating understanding among the major stakeholders in the negotiations. "It is imperative that as a country we establish and operate mechanisms that will enable the major stakeholders on the issues under negotiations to understand the issues at stake and to provide the necessary inputs into the negotiations", she said. 10 Nov. 10