Friends of the Nation (FoN), an environmental NGO and the Ellembelle District Assembly have held a stakeholder engagement session with Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC) Limited to improve communication around the company’s operations and corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts.
The engagement, which took place in Aiyinasi in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region, sought to bridge the communication gap between Ghana Gas and host communities while promoting peaceful industrial relations.
“The aim of this meeting is to create a platform where Ghana Gas and community stakeholders can openly discuss operational issues and explore ways to strengthen partnerships,” said William Augustine-Denkyi, a Project Officer at FoN. He added that community dialogue was essential for ensuring transparency and building trust. “We encourage Ghana Gas to organise regular town hall meetings and sensitisation activities to bring their operations closer to the people,”added Augustine-Denkyi.
Representatives from Ghana Gas, the Ellembelle District Assembly, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Ministry of Agriculture, NADMO and the media were in attendance, alongside local residents. John Quarshie, the Officer in Charge of CSR at Ghana Gas, highlighted various projects the company had implemented, including education scholarships and compensation payments to affected individuals. “We are committed to managing our community impact responsibly. This includes sensitisation campaigns, structured grievance mechanisms and media engagements to clarify our work,” said Quarshie.
He further noted that Ghana Gas has funded scholarships for many students pursuing tertiary education and has launched several intervention projects aimed at improving living conditions within the district. Planning Officer for the Ellembelle District Assembly, Theophilus Tamatey-Agbo, welcomed the collaboration and said the Assembly looked forward to aligning Ghana Gas’s interventions with its medium-term development plan. “We are pleased with the social investments Ghana Gas is making in our district. It is a partnership that is already having a meaningful impact,” said Tamatey-Agbo.
The engagement reaffirmed the importance of sustained dialogue and collaborative planning in fostering mutual benefit between Ghana Gas and the communities within its operational zone.
