Connect to share and comment Environment must be protected from
new offshore oilfields. TAKORADI, Ghana — A digital sign in the
lobby of Tullow Oil’s office here reads 61 days — a countdown to
the country's first first oil. In November, Ghana will begin
producing from its estimated 1.6 billion barrels of oil
reserves. As oil workers prepare pipes for deepwater
installation at the port of Takoradi, and the Ghanaian
government passes legislation regulating the oil, Ghanaians are
wondering whether the oil will benefit them. To manage its oil
industry responsibly, the Ghanaian government needs to slow down
and make sure it has a strong regulatory framework in place. As
Ghana comes close to becoming one of Africa's oil producers with
the offshore Jubilee Field, what progress has been made to see
that the petroleum is a boost to Ghanaians and not a curse? What
steps are being taken to protect Ghana's environment? Many of
Ghana’s coastal communities are dependent on fishing. Regardless
of any revenue-sharing agreeme