A joint Monitoring Team made up of the Ellembelle District Assembly, National Disaster Management Organization ( NADMO), Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA) under the auspices of Friends of the Nation (FoN) and OXFAM International, has engaged old Bakanta and Sanzule communities on the impact of ENi Ghana operations in the catchment area.
The engagement,afforded the team,the opportunity to assess the operational impact of ENi Ghana in the catchment area and concerns of affected communities especially Sanzule where the project was sited for oil and gas explorations.
The two- day event elicited responses from selected members of the communities as well as traditional rulers.
Some of the concerns raised during the engagement, were the need for ENi Ghana to construct the road from old Bakanta to Sanzule, construction of drains in the Sanzule township to curb the perennial flooding,mitigating the heat in the catchment area especially Sanzule as well as the readiness of management of ENi Ghana to respect the local content policy by giving a quota of employment to people in the area with special reference to indigenes of Sanzule.
A Project Officer with FoN Mr William Augustine -Denkyi said the team will serve as interface to engage the communities and ENi Ghana in the coming days to fashion out modalities on how the Corporate Social Responsibility ( CSR) of ENi Ghana had impacted the communities and strengthen relationship between the Company and the communities.
He said the outcome of that engagement will be a win-win situation as it will ensure a fruitful collaboration between ENi Ghana and the communities in their operational enclave.
Manle Kpanyinli of Sanzule,Nana Kemese appealed to ENi to construct town roads with gutters to halt the flooding situation in the town.
He accused ENi Ghana of lack of engagement with the Chief and elders of Sanzule before any project was embarked upon in the town.
Nana Kemese said the town has a lot of concerns but the company does not seem to respond to them.
He said Ghana Gas had responded to the concerns of other towns except Sanzule because ENi was operating in the town the former was waiting for Ghana Gas to deal with problems in Sanzule.
Manle Kpanyinli Kemese said the heat in the town emanating from activities of ENi was unbearable.
He also reminded the company to respect the local content policy.
According to the elders of the town,though the Company had engaged the town in other agrarian ventures such as animal husbandry,yet it did bring any relief to the people.
Manle Kpanyinli Kemese lamented that their youth were not employed by the Company.
By Kodwo Yankey
