Economic Justice Now! Demands The Youth Of Western Ghana

We have been compelled by an urgent need to articulate the collective concerns of the youth of the western region with regard to the emerging oil and gas industry in the Ghana. We the youth of western region have endured enough economic injustice, and demand economic justice now!

In stating our case, we first and foremost wish to commend highly the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, all groups and personalities whose collective efforts led to the oil find. We also welcome all business entities already at base and those yet to come, warmly into the Western Region, and offer an open hand of friendship and promise them a peaceful coexistence. However, it is our expectation that, they will be good corporate citizens whilst here, so that we can build a mutually beneficial relationship devoid of exploitation and strife.

The western region youth, cannot pretend to be unconcerned when in fact we are the ones to bear the full brunt of any untoward outcome from the emerging oil and gas industry. Ghana our beloved country must do more than it is currently doing, in order to avoid the pitfall that most oil producing African countries have consciously or unconsciously slipped into.

We wish to put on record that the youth of the western region will not sit down for those with parochial interest to treat the emerging oil and gas industry with a business as usual attitude. We wish to state unequivocally that we will not tolerate a repetition of the wanton exploitation that has characterised the extraction of gold and other mineral resources from the region. Many years of mineral extraction has turned our towns like Tarkwa, Prestea, Awawso, Nsuta, Bogoso, Bibiani and the likes into environmental nuisance and nightmare. Whilst wretchedness, hopelessness and naked poverty have become the portion of our people, heartless foreigners and their compradors under the guise of private capital, continue to accumulate supernormal profits year in year out. The story is no different in other parts of our country, we therefore call on the youth of these areas to rise up and insist on their right and demand economic justice now!

Let it be known to all that the youth of the western region have resolved to ensure that, the all too familiar dark chapter in our miserable history with the extraction of mineral resources is closed once and for all.

Rush Land Sale by Traditional Leaders
Another allied concern of ours is in respect of the wanton sale of lands by some traditional leaders in the western region. Contrary to categorical statements made by the Western Regional House of Chiefs to the public that, there has been a freeze on arbitrary land sales, the fact remains that, there has been a renewed fever in wanton sale of lands in the region, evidence of which can be attested to by the Regional Lands Commission.

Information gathered so far reveals a shocking rush by some traditional leaders to dispose off expanse of arable lands to an array of “vultures” since the oil find was announced in 2007, without any regard for how future generations will meet their survival needs. This as far as we are concerned, does not auger well for any promise of sustainable development. There are certainly better ways of putting land to efficient, economic and sustainable use for the benefit of all who have stakes in it. We therefore urge our traditional leaders to desist from any misguided sale of lands for immediate gains, and rather, consult and explore alternative investments avenue to ensure a sustainable income from the lands that they hold in trust.

We again appeal to Chiefs of the area to be mindful of their sacred oaths to be custodians of lands vested in them for the past, present and future generations, and ensure that they do not do anything untoward to breach our collective future peace in the region. For any attempt to mortgage the future of the youth and that of those yet unborn will yield dire consequences long after few of them and their cronies have enjoyed the immediate benefits.

We also appeal to the government to intervene as a mater of necessity to impress upon the Western Regional House of Chiefs to call some of it chiefs to order, before this becomes another national catastrophe.

E & P Companies Must Observe and Respect Regional Sensibilities

We also wish to draw the attention of the Exploration and Production Companies to the crucial necessity to maintain regional presence and balance in the composition of their executive and management positions. We find the current situation where none of the top executive positions in the E&P companies occupied by natives of the western region unacceptable and despicable. We wish to add that this is not an unbridled invocation of regional interference, but rather a gesture of inclusion which has far-reaching mutual benefits for all. We make this appeal based on the fact that, there are numerous natives of the region who are appropriately qualified and capable of filling any of such executive positions. It is certainly not be too much, to ask of the E & P companies as a matter of urgency to recruit qualified natives to positions such as country managers, for us the youth of the region to be satisfied that decisions concern our region will at all times be taken with the inputs and consent of our kin.

Empowering and Preparing the Region's Youth for Emerging Industry

We also wish to make an urgent call to the government through the GNPC and other stakeholders to engender a platform to ensure that the youth of the western region are adequately prepared and empowered with the requisite programs and information as a way of mainstreaming their training and employment needs, so as to dispel any feeling or notion of marginalization. The foundational mistakes committed with the extraction of gold and other mineral resources must never be repeated with oil and gas. We urge all policy makers and advisers to endeavour not to leave any policy lapses or gaps which could become a pretext for any future chaos in the region.

Conclusion

We wish to conclude by reiterating that, we share in the joy and hearty expectations of all well meaning Ghanaians with respect to the bright prospects of Ghana's emerging oil and gas industry. However, retrospective reflection teaches us to be rather cautiously hopeful if the oil agreement is any measure to go by. The oil agreement to say the least, leaves much to be desired, (we will address details of Ghana's Oil Agreement in a subsequent release) and as such calls for extreme vigilance to protect what is left.

The youth of western region of Ghana will not be bewildered like sheep meant for the slaughter this time around, we will vehemently oppose and resist any manoeuvring form whichever quarters which intends rob us of our land, threaten our environment, exploit and impoverish our people in the name of business, be it indigenous or foreign. No entity and we repeat no entity, has any business in the western region exploiting or extracting any mineral resources if that activity will not improve the livelihoods of our people and help develop the infrastructure of the area.

The youth of western region of Ghana have been exploited for far, far too long and we DEMAND ECONOMIC JUSTICE NOW!

Aboagye Boampong
For/and on behalf of
(Coalition of Western Region Youth Associations - WRACY)