Vice President John Mahama, has declared government's intention to adopt the Trinidad and Tobago model of managing its oil resources to enable Ghanaians to fully benefit from the country's oil find. In pursuit of that, he said, the government would collaborate more with that country to find out how best to implement the model, which primarily aims at channelling revenue from oil resources into the provision of social amenities and development of infrastructure. The Vice President made this known on Monday when a high level delegation from Trinidad and Tobago, led by Mrs. Victoria Mendez-Charles, High Commissioner of Trinidad and Tobago in Abuja, Nigeria; called on him at the Castle, Osu, as part of an investment exploration visit to Ghana. Mr. Mahama lauded the model, which ensures that local firms actively participate in the oil industry as well as maximise the benefits of oil by exploring the use of by-products, saying it was vital that adequate measures were taken to make the oil find a blessing to the citizenry. "We will follow the Trinidad and Tobago model," he said, adding that the government would collaborate with that country to tap into its rich expertise and experience in the exploration of oil and management of the resources. He said one of government's priorities in the oil sector was to build the necessary human resource capacity to effectively manage the industry, adding that Ghana would not hesitate to work with Trinidad and Tobago in that regard. The Vice President commended the delegation for the visit, and expressed optimism that it would pave the way to strengthen the relations between the two countries. Mrs. Mendez-Charles, for her part, commended Ghana for its democratic and economic progress, saying her country was desirous of enhanced relations with Ghana. She noted that the government of Trinidad and Tobago believed that the promotion of south-south cooperation was vital to the growth of developing countries, especially in Africa. Touching on Trinidad’s oil development model, she said "we see oil resources as an engine for effective national development." Apart from the oil sector, she said the visit to Ghana was also to explore other business opportunities for partnership between investors in the two countries. She also extended an invitation to the Presidency to attend the next Commonwealth Head of State summit in Trinidad and Tobago slated for December 27 to 29. Trinidad and Tobago, with a population of over 1.3 million, is one of the wealthiest countries in the Caribbean, thanks to its large reserves of oil and gas, the exploitation of which dominates its economy. Inhabited mostly by people of African and Indian descent, the two-island state enjoys a per capita income of over 14,000 dollars, exports of its natural gas to the US. Source: The Ghanaian Times