By P.K.Yankey
Ambainu (W/R), March 25, GNA – The Friends of the Nation (FoN), a socio -environmental NGO, in collaboration with the Ellembelle District Assembly has engaged ENi Ghana, an oil and gas company, to address concerns raised by community members and traditional authorities in their catchment area.
The maiden engagement afforded FoN and the District Assembly the opportunity to listen to the concerns of communities in ENi Ghana’s operational enclave as well as feedback from officials from of the company.
Mr William Augustine-Dankyi, a Project Officer at FoN, said the engagement was aimed at assessing the socio -environmental impacts of the company’s activities, ensuring that the rights of community members were respected and the environment safeguarded.
He added that the engagement was also to calm tensions and foster positive working relationship between the communities and the company.
Mr Augustine-Dankyi said FoN would continue with the education of community members to come to terms with operations of ENi Ghana, while appealing to the Ellembelle District Assembly to conduct needs assessment of communities to inform the company’s social interventions.
Mr Theophilus Tamatey-Agbo, Planning Officer of the Ellembelle District Assembly, said though agriculture was the mainstay of the local economy, oil and gas explorations also raked in revenue to the Assembly for development.
He said the Assembly would engage members to outline the pressing needs of their communities for companies in the district to execute the relevant Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects for them.
Mr Eric Agyei-Djan, the Manager, Local Development and Stakeholder at ENi Ghana, recounted an unprecedented social interventions project in the Ellembelle District especially within Sanzule, the host community and catchment areas such as Bakanta, Krisan, Eikwe.
He charged the District Assembly to draw its short, medium, and long term plans that reflected the needs of communities to enable ENi Ghana prioritise their interests.
With respect to some concerns raised by community members on developmental projects in the Sanzule community, Mr Adjei-Djan said: “Engineering services is currently underway by ENi Ghana after which a report will be submitted to the Assembly to draw the line as to whether every expectation of the community falls under ENi Ghana.”
He said the Sanzule-Bakanta road was on their drawing board for reconstruction and would be executed in due course.
GNA
JP/LAA