The Minister-designate for Western Region, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah has made a clarion call on oil and gas companies operating in the country to consider establishing their headquarters in the region.

Answering a question at his vetting, the Takoradi MP noted that setting up of these offices will ensure that residents of the Western Region benefit from the oil and gas value chain..

He explained that should this initiative be enforced, it help will grow local businesses in the region and consequently affect the economy of the nation.

“I still believe that the oil companies should start looking at setting up at their headquarters in the Western Region so that more people can have direct engagement with their headquarters and be able to be a part of the value chain so that they can participate more in the oil and gas industry,” he stated.

“My major challenge is that when it comes to the oil and gas business, it seems that everything seems to be centred in Accra and I believe that it is one area we have to relook.

“Because I believe that if we want 'local-local' to happen, the more you leave it in Accra it becomes difficult for local people especially for Western Region to participate,” the Minister-designate informed the Appointments Committee.

In spite of the absence of the headquarters of oil and gas companies in the Region, Mr Darko-Mensah indicated that a number of indigenes of the Western Region have benefited through educational programmes from the oil and gas business.

“Irrespective of that there has been a number of training programmes that has gone on in the Western Region area and I believe that people still have the capacity to participate,” he said.

He, however, concluded by adding that it would take the Local Content Committee of the Petroleum Commission to ensure that Ghanaians get to participate in this endeavour.