The Ghana Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative Secretariat has held a consultative workshop for stakeholders in the oil and gas sector in the Western Region to validate a draft reporting template for capturing information on the oil and gas revenues. In 2010, the EITI was extended to cover the oil and gas sector, the template would, therefore, help the various oil industries to capture data and information in a very transparent manner. This would not only provide checks and balances, but also help capture every oil and gas revenue.

Accra, Oct. 17, GNA - Newmont Ghana Gold Limited has paid more than 47 million dollars (GH¢71.44 million) to government for the third quarter of the year. The amount comprises 39 million dollars for Corporate Income Tax, 6 million dollars for the National Fiscal Stabilisation Levy, and 2 million dollars as Mineral Royalties for September. The Corporate Income Tax paid represents an increase of 30 per cent over what the company paid for the previous quarter.

Government has once again demonstrated its resolve to beat the resource curse in the exploitation of the country's hydrocarbons, by giving expression to a key transparency provision in the Petroleum Revenue Management Law it enacted six months ago: the inauguration of the Public Interest and Accountability Committee last Thursday in Accra. The Committee, established under Section 51 of the Petroleum Revenue Management Act, 2011, Act 815 is regarded as a novelty in the management of natural resource rents globally.

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working in the Natural Resource and Environment sector are calling for effective consultation with mining communities before the issuance of license to mining companies. Such engagement, according to them, will ensure fair compensation to the indigenous people as well as reduce the number of social conflicts that usually occur in the mining communities.

The Ghana Chamber of Mines (GCM) says the total investment inflow into the mining sector in 2010 amounted to $770 million, as against the $762 million recorded in 2009.  The investments, according to the GCM, were made in production, exploration and support services.

INCREASED production at its Jubilee Field in Ghana combined with higher commodity prices have driven up Tullow Oil's interim pre-tax profit to $540 million in the six months to June 30, 2011. The impressive result is a 321 per cent jump from the year-earlier period, beating a consensus forecast of $509 million from a company-supplied poll of analysts.

ANADARKO Petroleum has announced an oil discovery in the West Cape Three Points block offshore Ghana as it encountered crude in underground rock similar to that in the country's largest oil field. The Akasa-I well "encountered 108 at feet (33 meters) of primarily high quality, oil-bearing pay from four main Turonian-aged sand packages, similar o those found in the Jubilee and Mahogany East areas," Houston-based Anadarko said. Anadarko has a 30.875 percent working  interest in the West Cape Three Points lock with partners Kosmos Energy (30.875perr cent).

The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) is to set up an oil and gas centre in Takoradi to assist in strengthening the capacity of small and medium-scale enterprises to take advantage of the new business opportunities. Mr Samuel Appenteng, Vice President of AGI, who announced this at a workshop on oil and gas value chain building in Ghana’s oil and gas industry on Tuesday, said the AGI was committed to ensuring that the benefits from the industry did not only accrue to large local service providers but also for small and medium-scale enterprises.

Newmont GhanaGold Limited- (NGGL) has stated that it currently generates nearly 10% of Ghana’s total export revenue. In addition, the company says it has provided 99 local companies with six million dollars worth of contracts. So far the company has pro­vided, employment to about, 48,000 people directly and indi­rectly in the country including more than 400 indirect mine em­ployment in 2010. These were contained in a research carried out on the socio-economic impact of the company's operations in the Ahafo area of the Brong Ahafo Region by the INSEAD Business School of France.

Newmont Golden Ridge 9Newmont Ghana b says it will continue to respect and work with traditional authorities to follow established cultural norms and practices for dealing with the issues of cemeteries located within Yayaaso community.  The company, which has come under attack recently for allegedly disrespecting the norms and values of the Birem traditional area said in a statement issued last week that it has not exhumed any human remains, relocated any mausoleum or culturally significant sites within its concession area, assuring its host communities that, it will continue to transparently and collaboratively engage with them with honesty, trust and respect.