The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo) at Aboadze in the Shama District of the Western Region, has marked its 10th anniversary of commercial operations in Ghana with the commendation of staff for their hard work and dedication to duty.

The Managing Director of WAPCo, Gregory Germani said the diligence and dedication of world-class diverse workforce had helped to fulfill the vision of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to have a gas pipeline across the Sub-region.

The tremendous resilience of the workforce had helped to surmount most of the challenges encountered in the season, he said at the Anniversary celebration, which also saw the unveiling of key milestones in the existence of the company.

Mr. Germani expressed gratitude to the Government and other stakeholders for the successes chalked.

“We need continued collaborative support from the one WAPCo family, our regulator, shareholders, customers and all stakeholders to enhance our positive impact on Regional economic growth and enhancing the potential for further extension of the pipelines to other West African countries in decades to come,” he said.

Mr. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the Western Regional Minister, who was the Guest of Honour, expressed joy over the completion of the Takoradi-Tema interconnection project.

“I must admit, the Westerners, I mean the entire Region, is delighted to transport ‘stranded gas’ to Tema Power enclave…The success story chalked by the company for the past 10 years cannot be overlooked as drivers of Regional Energy,” he said.

The Minister recounted the economic importance of the Western Region to the country’s development, saying it had contributed 51 per cent of Ghana’s cocoa, 98 per cent of rubber, 85 per cent coconut, 65 per cent of gold, 100 per cent manganese and 100 per cent of Ghana’s oil and gas.

He said the WAPCO was committed to making a socio-economic impact to stakeholders and engage in corporate social investment through partnerships to create sustainable livelihood for the people.

“I am aware that, WAPCo is an international company and a joint venture between public and private sector companies transporting natural gas resources to customers in Ghana, Nigeria, Benin and Togo, in a safe, responsible, and reliable manner to create value for its diverse stakeholders with a growing demand for cleaner and more efficient energy,” he said.

Mr. Darko-Mensah commended the Management and staff for the developmental projects undertaken despite some challenges they faced, especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.