Ghana on Wednesday put in place a Petroleum Security Co-ordinating Committee (PSCC) to shore up the accomplishment of the fledgling oil industry. The PSCC is strategically placed to regulate safety and security of the oil and gas sector in line with a security master plan developed by the Ministerial Committee on Oil and Gas. Membership of the seven-member committee is drawn from the Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Police Service, National Security, Ghana Maritime Authority, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation and the Ministry of Energy. Brigadier General Charles Mankatah (rtd), a former Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre is the National Co-ordinator of the Committee. "The effort to provide a secure and congenial environment for the oil and gas industry has been a high priority on the agenda of government for the past two years," says Defence Minister Lieutenant General John Smith at the 'Square' (Ministry of Defence) in Accra when he inaugurated the PSCC. He noted that security for the sector was an utmost requirement for success of the petroleum industry, stressing: "We have to provide a secure and congenial environment for Ghana's oil and gas industry to thrive to ensure progressive socio-economic development in the country." Lt Gen Smith commended the foresight of the Presidency for mooting the idea of the Security Master Plan, indicating that the framework would provide a safe and secure air, land and sea environment within which the oil and gas extraction, exploration, production and marketing companies can operate freely within the confines of international laws and protocols. He exhorted the committee to live up to its mandate and to work closely with stakeholders in the industry. Source: GNA