Gov't to review the draft oil law

Accra, March 3, Ghanadot/GNA - President J.A.E Mills has his government will review the draft oil law introduced by the previous government and put in place the needed regulations and transparency measures.

Besides, he said, he would put into the public domain agreement already entered into, adding "We will do the same with future agreement".

He said the review of the draft oil law and the putting out of the agreements were part of steps the government would take to address transparency and good governance concerns relating to the nation's oil find.

President Mills was delivering his New Year message to the members of the Diplomatic Corps at a reception at the Castle,Osu.

Present were the Vice-President,Mr. John Mahama;First Lady,Mrs. Naadu Mills; the Ministers of the State, Members of Parliament (MPs),traditional and religious leaders.

President Mills noted that in Africa and elsewhere, the onset of oil wealth, in the absence of adequate legal structures and safeguards,” tends to erode democratic accountability".

He assured Ghana's development partners’ that accountability on the part of public office holders would be "a non-negotiable principle” that would guide his administration.

He expressed the hope that development partners and non-governmental agencies committed to transparency and anti-corruption initiatives would support the efforts of the government.

President Mills said those of them placed in positions of trust in Africa had "a tasking responsibility" to help the continent to overcome some of the negative perceptions.

"We must, therefore, strengthen our resolve to protect the democratic gains we have made and respect the rule of law”, he demanded of colleague African leaders.

The President commended the members of the Diplomatic corps for the keen interest they showed the December 2008 elections, as many of them had worked behind the scenes to make sure that Ghana remained the bedrock of true democracy when it appeared political tension was rising.

In the end, he said, Ghanaians showed their determination to travel down the path of democracy and the rule of law. “We proud of our democratic credentials and I will add to the legacy by upholding the fundamental principles of good governance during my tenure of office”, he assured.

President Mills said the country was faced with challenge, especially regarding the economy. He said while the government assessed the enormity of the challenges, it would remain committed to achieving macroeconomic stability and ensuring that the environment remained conducive for economic growth.

"As I said during my State of the Nation Address to Parliament last week, the economic picture may look disturbing but is no cause for despair”, he reiterated.

On Ghana's foreign relations, President Mills said it would partner with countries to help define the shape of multilateral institutions and continue to be an ally in confronting the tough challenges facing the international community, including enhancing the capacity of the United Nations (UN).

He gave the assurance that Ghana would be a good advocate of resolution of issues, including global poverty, hunger, access to water,

Conflicts, international trade, international financial stability and climate change.

Besides, he said the country supported greater co-operation on energy, the environment and international security and would continue to play an active role in ECOWAS and the African Union (AU).

He said his administration would ratify outstanding ECOWAS protocols, including the Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, the general convention on the equivalents of degree, diplomas, certificate and other qualification in ECOWAS member states and protocol establishing the criminal intelligence and investigation bureau.

President Mills called for "a full and effective" functioning of the criminal intelligence and investigation bureau of ECOWAS to stamp out the rising occurrence of cross-border crimes and drug trafficking in the country. "The government I lead remain committed to conflict prevention, conflict management and mediation efforts in our sub-region, Africa and the world.

Ghana remains committed to its international peacekeeping role. “We believe that peace and security remain pre-requisites for economic growth and development in Africa. To achieve that we encourage the institutions of democracy to function in a way that they will be seen to represented the genuine aspirations of all our people”, he said.

President Mills said Ghana cherished the co-operation of the countries and organisations that the diplomats represented and said the government was committed to strengthening those relations.

The Dean of the Diplomatic Corps,Mr. Tete Jean-Pierre Gbikpi-Benissan, said the members of the corps advocated the continuation of business from their respective countries on a much larger scale.

He charged the government to ensure the "dexterous management” of the oil to bring about the intended contribution to the overall growth of the economy.

Mr Gbikpi-Benissan ,who is the Togolese Ambassador to Ghana, commended Ghana for conducting peaceful and fair elections and said in the face of the financial difficulties, he was confident that the Mills administration would ensure sound policies that would see Ghana stand out again "as a beacon on the African continent".

He reiterated the commitment of the members of the Diplomatic Corps to continue to deepen ties with Ghana in the areas of economics, democratic growth and good governance.

GNA