President John Evans Atta Mills has met executives of the Trinidad and Tobago National Gas Company who have expressed considerably interest in investing in Ghana’s gas industry. The interaction centered on areas in which Trinidad and Tobago would be of great benefit to Ghana, especially the transfer of technology and the provision of job opportunities for Ghanaians. In a media briefing after the meeting with President Mills, the President of the company, Mr Andrew Macintosh, said President Mills had also expressed the preparedness of Ghana to tap into the expertise of Trinidad and Tobago in relation to the gas industry. He said President Mills had said the government will welcome foreign investors, provided that they were prepared to adhere strictly to the country’s laws and regulations. Mr Macintosh said his country was prepared to invest, as well as share its expertise, in gas exploration, which he said had been the mainstay of Trinidad and Tobago’s economy for several years. He said the company had already sent a team to Ghana to ascertain developments in the emerging oil and gas industry and report back, after which a decision would be taken on areas where it could invest in the gas sector. He explained that his country had asked the Government of Ghana to spell out the specific areas where Trinidad and Tobago could offer technical assistance and support. He said Trinidad and Tobago had judiciously used revenue generated from the sale of its gas to provide infrastructure such as potable water, schools, roads and decent accommodation for the people. According to him, the industry had also offered thousands of job opportunities to the people in terms of on-the-job training which had enabled the youth to acquire skills related to the industry. Commenting on how the exploration of gas should be handled to minimize the degradation of the country’s environment, Mr Macintosh said the engineering design for the project should be done in a way that would take care of such concerns. He said his company was ready to train Ghanaians to form a component part of its operations in Ghana, stressing, “It is our intention to ensure that Ghanaians are exposed to the various skills associated with the gas industry.” Meanwhile, President Mills is expected to return home Wednesday, after attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which took place between November 27 and 29, 2009. A statement issued by Mr Koku Anyidoho, the Head of Communications at the Presidency, said on his return, President Mills would leave for the Northern Region capital, Tamale, to participate in this year’s Farmers Day celebration and stay on to embark on a ‘thank you’ tour of the region. Source: Daily Graphic