Eni Ghana has launched the maiden edition of the Business and Market Fair in Sanzule, Western Region.

The fair showcased agricultural products and other services issued from businesses developed under the Livelihood Restoration Plan (LRP), OCTP’s $3.9m project to diversify the local economy.

Participants displayed crops, livestock and manufactured goods – including pigs, live spent layers and crates of fresh eggs, bread and bakery goods, vegetables, furniture, soap, clothing, shoes and sandals, and other – in 21 stands, to the citizens of Sanzule, Krisan, Eikwe and Old Bakanta, to the Chieftancy and the District Chief Executive. Restaurant managers, hotel managers, school heads, staple food aggregators, meat processors and traders were also invited to discover the variety of new products and with the goal of favoring access to a broader market.

“I wish to praise the LRP beneficiaries for their hard work and commitment and their willingness to create a sustainable and vibrant business environment”, said Roberto Daniele, Managing Director of Eni Ghana. “We will continue to support them to ensure new businesses can thrive and economic diversification become a reality that benefits the community as a whole.”

LRP beneficiaries consist of approximately 1400 people from 205 households. Under the program and with the support of Eni Ghana, beneficiaries chose livelihood options and received training and support to start new businesses.

Options included livestock (poultry, catfish, piggery, sheep), technical & vocational (hairdressing, dressmaking, welding, carpentry, masonry, shoemaking), value addition (bakery, fish processing, cold store, maize and cassava processing, food), cropping (cassava, vegetables) and service (motor tricycle, canopies, mattress, plastic chairs, barbering, decoration, satellite TV installation).

LRP is part of a broader community investment strategy developed by Eni Ghana together with OCTP partners Vitol and GNPC to positively impact the communities and endowed with an overall investment of $22M.

Eni is the operator of the OCTP Integrated Oil&Gas Development Project (Eni 44.44%, Vitol 35.56%, GNPC 20%), which puts in production the oil and non-associated gas of the Sankofa and Gye Nyame reservoirs.

Ghana is among the key countries for Eni’s organic growth.

The company has been present in the country since 2009 and accounts currently a gross production of about 70,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.