Petroleum House, Tema, Wednesday 19th August, 2020: The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, cut the sod for the construction of a $25million Operational Head Office for the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) in Takoradi.

The President was supported by the Board Chairman of GNPC, Mr. Freddie Blay, President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, who is also a Board Member of GNPC, the Western Regional Minister, Hon. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah and a Deputy Chief Executive of GNPC for Technical Operations, Mr. Opoku Danquah.

In a brief speech, President Akufo-Addo expressed satisfaction with the many development projects being undertaken by GNPC, adding: "Today, we are here to witness the concretization of my manifesto promise to relocate the operational head office of GNPC to Takoradi. I am here to cut the sod for the commencement of construction works on a seven-storey modern office complex spanning about 7000 square metres of floor space to be used as the operational headquarters of GNPC." He was hopeful that he would return to the site to commission the facility when completed.

The President observed that the Western Region was benefitting from the many initiatives undertaken by GNPC, "which is consistent with the fact that the oil and gas resources that generate the revenues of the Corporation are located off the shores of the region."

He was delighted at the many projects being undertaken by GNPC across the country, which "include classroom blocks, science laboratories, dormitories, dining hall facilities, furniture, markets, sanitary facilities, artificial playing fields, boreholes for potable water, health facilities, among others."

The President again found it heartwarming that GNPC is focused on capacity building through the award of scholarships, research funding for universities and training of artisans, and "particularly delighted that the GNPC Foundation is supporting training for masons, mechanics, carpenters, electricians, hairdressers, dressmakers. to enable them obtain certification through the National Vocational Training Institute."

Welcoming the President to the site, GNPC Board Chairman, Mr. Blay said, the decision to relocate GNPC's operational head office to Takoradi was in fulfilment of the President's manifesto pledge made in 2016 and his vision to restore and enhance GNPC's presence in the Western Region.

He said, further to the President's pledge the GNPC Board took a decision to establish the GNPC Foundation in Takoradi to spearhead Corporate Social Investment initiatives. This was a deliberate strategy to ensure that even though the Foundation has a national scope, the socio-economic, educational, and training needs of the people of the Western region received special focus.

Manifesto Promise The sod cutting and subsequent construction of the operational Head Office, according to Mr. Blay, is a manifestation of the promise made in 2016 by President Akufo-Addo to the Chiefs and People of the Western Region. The Board Chairman explained, that the project experienced delays because of Covid-19 and the one-and-a-half years it took to secure the land.

He thanked the Western Regional Minister, Hon. Darko-Mensah, who is also Member of Parliament for Takoradi Constituency, and the Lands Commission for their tremendous assistance in securing the land for the project. Mr. Blay assured the President that, once the project is completed, GNPC staff will move in to begin work.

Project Description The 7-storey modern office complex would be situated on a plot area of 11,680m2 and spans about 7,035 square metres. It will have a 300-seater auditorium, a gymnasium, a cafeteria and a business centre on the ground floor. The upper floors will provide office space for GNPC and potential tenants, especially in the oil and gas value chain.

The office is to be a smart building that integrates the most advanced building management system to achieve LEED Certification � a standard that measures building qualities to assess their compliance with �all-in-one' address of energy efficiency, water conservation, site selection, material selection, day lighting and waste reduction.

National Support Mr. Blay indicated that, since the GNPC Foundation was established in 2017, it has provided infrastructure to the benefit of Ghanaians across the country. He said, "Today, we are happy to say that, since the establishment of the Foundation and through GNPC's Corporate Social Investment initiatives, the Western Region has received its fair share of infrastructure in the provision of classroom blocks, science laboratories, astro turfs, sanitation blocks, scholarships for tertiary students and the provision of potable water." This, he said was GNPC's contribution to bridging the developmental gaps in the Western Region and beyond.

Support to Western/Western North Region Speaking on GNPC's support to the Western and Western North regions, as envisioned by the President, Mr. Blay, who is former Member of Parliament for Ellembelle in the region, said based on the leadership of the President, the Western Region has benefited immensely from the oil find and the operations of GNPC. Key benefits include the provision of potable water, road projects, educational and sanitary facilities.

Hostel and Administration block for W/R House of Chiefs Ahead of cutting the sod for the GNPC operational head office, President Akufo-Addo commissioned two hostels of four apartments each, and an Administration block, with a research centre in Sekondi, donated by GNPC to the Western Regional House of Chiefs.

Road Projects In a related development, President Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday cut the sod for the construction of road projects, in the gas enclave area of the Western region, being funded by GNPC, to facilitate the delivery of gas and the transportation of critical personnel in the oil and gas value chain.

GNPC is Ghana's national oil company and anchor partner in all upstream operations. GNPC is currently a partner in 17 petroleum licences, three producing fields, and leads exploration works under the Voltaian Basin Project.

Issued By:
The Corporate Affairs Department, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, Petroleum House, Harbour Road, PMB, Tema. Email: info@gnpcghana.com