Baah Wiredu calls on Canada to avail its expertise on oil to Ghana

Story: Boahene Asamoah & Jasmine Afari-Mintah

THE Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, has called on the Canadian government to avail its expertise in the legal framework covering the oil industry to enable the country to lay a strong foundation for its oil find.
Speaking during a courtesy call on him by the new Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr Darren Schemmer in Accra on Tuesday, the minister said the country was learning from many other countries across the world to ensure that resources from the oil find was put to good use.
He acknowledged the strong legal framework that Canada had adopted over its oil industry and said the country could learn from it and adopt best practises.
The minister outlined a number of initiatives that the government had undertaken such as the new educational reforms that would ensure the compulsory enrolment of pupils from the early education to the first cycle education.
He also mentioned infrastructure development, such as roads, the Bui Dam and the reactivation of the rail lines across the country as some of the projects the government was undertaking.
Mr Baah-Wiredu, also mentioned the need for support in the health and information, communications technology.
The minister said there is the need for more investments in the mining sector and called for partnership between the two countries in that direction.
Mr Baah-Wiredu stressed the need to expand trading relations between the two countries to cover more areas such ICT software development.
He acknowledged the immense support the Canadian government had given to the country for its budgetary support.
He assured the High Commissioner that the government would ensure a free and fair elections during this year’s general elections and stressed the need for development partners not to hold back projected budgetary support in anticipation of any set backs in this year’s elections.
Mr Schemmer, for his part also acknowledged the long standing partnership between Ghana and Canada.
He said he was at the ministry to familiarise himself with the government’s projects as well as to meet the minister and introduce himself and assured the minister of Canada’s support for the country’s economic development.
He said Canada had supported Ghana through Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to achieve equitable and sustainable poverty reduction.
Canada’s support for Ghana are carried out through four main channels namely; country to country (bilateral), regional organisations, multilateral institutions and partnership between Canadian and Ghanaian profit and non profit entities.
Currently the Canadian government has supported Ghana with a 93 million Canadian dollar through the multi-donor budgetary support and a further 85 million Canadian dollars for the food and agricultural budgetary support programme.
Additionally, the Canadian government has made available an amount of 14.5 million Canadian dollars under the district wide assistance project and also a 12 million Canadian dollar for a community driven initiative for food security programme among many others.