The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says close co-operation between Ghana and the world's largest publicly traded international oil and gas company, Exxon Mobil, will be instrumental in developing Ghana’s oil and gas industry.

In welcoming officials of Exxon Mobil to the Flagstaff House, on Thursday, 18th January, 2018, after the signing of a petroleum exploration agreement, President Akufo-Addo assured officials of Exxon Mobil of his government’s commitment to helping them succeed in their operations, and urged them to “respect the terms of the agreement.”

The President was also hopeful that Exxon Mobil’s high standards of operation would be replicated in Ghana, to enhance the competitiveness of the country’s oil and gas sector.

“We are determined to work with you to make sure that the benefit of the investment that you are going to make in our country is benefiting the people of Ghana. Ultimately, they are the beneficiaries of what you are going to be doing”, the President said.

President Akufo-Addo, thus, called on Parliament to act expeditiously in approving the transaction, as set out in the petroleum exploration agreement.

“The paper stuff is over. We want to see people actually working on the ground as soon as possible, and we are going to crave the indulgence of Mr. Speaker and Members of the House, also, to make that contribution, so that we can get on,” he added

On his part, the Minister for Energy, Boakye Agyarko, noted that, in Exxon Mobil, “we couldn’t have found a better partner” to begin work in the Tano basin.