A Deputy Minister of Finance, John Kumah, has urged the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) to be relentless in its advocacy for prudent management and use of Ghana’s petroleum revenue.
While commending the committee for its push for transparency and accountability over the last 12 years, he said, the government would continue to support its activities towards fulfilling its mandate.
He said this in Accra yesterday at the launch of PIAC’s new corporate logo, a redesigned website and a data dashboard, as part of efforts to increase its visibility and public engagement.
The new logo maintains the coat of arms in the old one, and adds new key elements like an oil rig, oil drop and the Ghana Cedi sign; all designed in PIAC’s corporate colours; black and gold.
The redesigned website which has the Data Dashboard fused is to help provide easy access to information on the country’s petroleum sector to the public to help promote accountability.
Aside from accountability, Mr Kumah urged the PIAC to lead the ongoing public advocacy for an increase in Ghana’s percentage in oil revenues because the government was constrained by contracts it had signed.
He said; “Some people have questioned why Ghana’s interest in the extractive industry is limited to maybe 10 or 15 per cent of the resources and not 55 per cent of 60 per cent.
“When such issues are raised vehemently and pushed by PIAC, we can see some changes in the terms because it is not easy based on contracts we have signed but everything is possible where there is a will.”
Mr Kumah congratulated the PIAC for the new feat and hailed the cordial working relationship between the Ministry and PIAC.
“I think PIAC is well-positioned in the law in the fight against corruption. When we cry about corruption, we can only do it with strong and independent institutions like PIAC,” he said.
The PIAC chairman, Prof. Kwame Adom-Frimpong, said the committee over the years had defied limited resources and inadequate understanding of the PIAC to ensure that the petroleum revenue were well managed and used.
He said the new logo would properly identify the committee while the website would boost the committee’s mandate of providing a platform for citizenship engagement on oil revenue through provision of information.
He thanked German Development Corporation (GIZ) and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) for sponsoring the website, logo and dashboard as well as other activities of the PIAC over the years.
The Chairman of PIAC’s Public Affairs and Communications Sub-committee, Eric Defor, said the old logo did not communicate PIAC’s purpose well, giving rise to the need to rebranding to get the recognition and legitimacy to work.
He said the new logo signified the industry, resource and revenues that PIAC oversees as its mandate prescribes.
BY TIMES REPORTER
