When given the opportunity to say something about my long service with my company, this was what I had to say...
The privilege of being part of
the pioneering team of Ghana Gas gave me a strong sense of duty towards the
continuous nurturing of a relatively young and promising company into a huge
success story on the global stage. It’s been over 10 years already and my
experience with Ghana Gas so far has been a memorable one.
The first day I stepped foot in
the newly rented ‘seat-deficient’ No. 10 Drake Avenue property at the Airport
Residential Area (the initial location of the Ghana Gas Head Office), I knew
there was a need to brace up for the challenge ahead. Nine engineers, from
GNPC, TOR, BOST & EC, had to share five seats for the first few weeks; Messrs.
Robert Lartey, Charles Anafi and I used to share a single seat, anytime duty
demanded that I moved from the project site (Atuabo) to the head office (Accra).
We quickly developed the expertise of taking turns seamlessly. Some corporate
meetings were even held while literally standing on our feet. In one of those
meetings, Dr. Sipa Yankey (the first CEO) was introduced to the team. My first
interaction with him was an inspiring one.
In the early days at the head
office, lunch breaks were complicated as there were not many options in terms of
availability of diners within the vicinity. A ‘bush’canteen, which was located
opposite the entrance of the Osibisa Close, was eventually discovered and I can
vividly recall Dr. Asante’s notable role in ensuring that everybody’s ‘fufu’ was well decorated with ‘akrantie’ throughout the first 3-days of
discovery. The euphoria around those benevolent acts even earned one of the
team members the nickname, ‘Akrantie’;
the camaraderie among the team was simply adorable. In less than a month, the workforce
doubled and the entire staff was temporarily relocated to Holi Flats Apartments
as the Drake Avenue facility had to undergo a facelift. Within this period, I
was mainly involved in land acquisition, supervision of survey works
(Cadastral, Topographic and Geotechnical) and community sensitization at the
project site. I recall, with a smile, my first encounter with Kudus Mayaya (one
of our security men) who mistook me for an intruder and nearly evicted me from
the head office during one of my visits from the project site; many thanks to Richard
Nelson (a pioneering IT officer) for quickly intervening.
As a Geomatic Engineer, working together
with a team that was expected to build the Early Phase Gas Infrastructure
Project in a record time, the project site became my second home. Ensuring the
selection of a suitable location for the country’s first gas processing plant
and optimum routes for both offshore and onshore gas pipelines was a crucial assignment
I had to deal with; I am forever grateful to Dr. Ben Asante and Mr. Victor
Sunu-Attah for their mentorship and support. I also garnered a lot of
experience whiles working with Sinopec International Petroleum Services
Corporation (the main contractor) and their sub-contractors on the engineering
and construction of the infrastructure. I recall the contributory role I played
in extensive community/stakeholder engagement exercises with Messrs. Joseph Djeni,
Abraham Roberts (of blessed memory) and Mieza-Mea Alleah. Some of these
engagements even took me offshore, where I navigated around fishing nets
cast by fishers across our survey routes.
In 2012, the arrival of a group
of brilliant Ghanaian engineers to the project site brought great joy and renewed
energy. I had the pleasure of showing them around our various project sites
between Atuabo and Takoradi. Crop enumeration and compensation to
project-affected-people and construction works started not long afterwards, and
it was all about devotion to a noble cause. In fact, the high expectation from
management and the entire Ghanaian populace motivated us to keep going. At a
point in time, a communique was issued to put every annual leave request on a temporary
hold, and construction activities at the Gas Processing Plant site were
executed and supervised both day and night. I was ecstatic when our team effort
was beautifully rewarded with ‘First Gas’ in November, 2014.
Many good things have happened to
the company since ‘First Gas’ and there would never be enough time to tell it
all. Presently, my daily routine as a Construction Manager involves interaction
with contractors, project team members from different departments, government
agencies and other stakeholders on a number of gas infrastructure expansion
projects as well as corporate social responsibility projects. In addition to that,
I advise on feasibility of new projects in terms of suitability of proposed
locations, land acquisition and other related issues. A memorable day in my
career was in May 2021, where I had to step into the witness box for the first
time in my life, at the Sekondi High Court, in a lawsuit between an influential
project-affected-person and Ghana Gas; Panin Fredua-Agyemang and Francis Augustus
Badu were there to represent the Legal and Community Relations departments
respectively. It is also worth noting that, working with the Commercial
department in prospecting for new gas off-takers has always given me a feeling
of fulfilment. Furthermore, my role in aerial surveillance exercises on our
infrastructure (with the Marine and Security department) cannot be left
unmentioned. Aside my core duties, I have developed the passion for mentoring interns
and national service personnel in developing relevant soft skills that, I
believe, would enhance their productivity in the corporate environment.
In the course of my duties, it
was not all roses; there were bloodcurdling moments as well. In December 2011,
I had to swim about 300m to shore when our 4-man inflatable dinghy unexpectedly
sank during a bathymetric survey exercise between the Jubilee Field and the
coast of Bonyere. On a different occasion, there was a terrifying lateral
collision between our offshore pipeline inspection vessel (Reef Larissa) and a huge
oil tanker during a bunkering exercise at about 2 nautical miles offshore. I
also recollect a near miss incident that almost landed me in a gaping ‘galamsey’
pit during a crop enumeration exercise along the 75km Esiama-Prestea pipeline
right of way. Sometimes, after walking several kilometers across rugged
terrains, the parching ache of thirst causes us to turn to fast-flowing
streams, coconuts and sugarcanes for relief. The countless reptiles encountered
along the gas pipeline right of way (both AT and EP lines) became commonplace. I
also recall the day our field vehicle got stuck in a miry clay during one of
our routine project inspection tours with Sussana Kwarteng and Francis Wajah;
Francis and I ended up washing ourselves in the Amanzule River, after a
terrible mud bath. The most recent one was when a large gin trap (locally known
as jack) snapped on my ranging pole, just a few inches away from my foot,
during a reconnaissance survey at the proposed site for GPP Train 2.
The professional development I've
experienced over the years wouldn't have been possible without management’s
commitment to ensuring continuous professional development of staff. My thanks
go to all those who made a positive impact in my career, especially Dr. Asante,
Mr. Asmah and Mr. Moses. My advice, therefore, to my younger colleagues is to take
advantage of this opportunity to develop themselves, and always remain eager to
contribute their expertise, diligently, to the betterment of Ghana Gas and the
country at large. It is my belief that Ghana Gas will continue to drive the industrialization
agenda, through further expansion of its gas infrastructure across the country
and beyond. May the New Year bring us continued
growth, innovation, and a renewed commitment to building a brighter
future for Ghana Gas.
January, 2024.
