The Office of the President has stated that the scheduled sod-cutting ceremony for the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation (PHDC) will proceed as planned.
This comes after it rejected a petition by the Coalition of Concerned Nzema People, challenging the acquisition of 20,000 acres of land by the hub.
The coalition sought to halt the scheduled sod-cutting ceremony on Monday, August 19, 2024, pending the resolution of outstanding issues.
The group also demanded the cancellation of the disputed land registration and the PHDC to sign a comprehensive and binding MoU with Nzema chiefs, family heads and individual landowners.
But a statement signed by the Secretary to the President, Ambassador Nana Asante Bediatuo, said all necessary processes for compulsory land acquisition have been duly completed.
It added that the Western Nzema Traditional Council has denied the assertions in the petition and has also encouraged the President to proceed with the sod-cutting ceremony for the benefit of the people of the area.
“In addition to that, this Office has had the opportunity to review all the documentation in respect of the Petroleum Hub project including the interlocutory injunction ruling given by the High Court, Sekondi on 22nd November 2021, confirming that the Petroleum Hub project should proceed.
“In light of the above, your petition is accordingly dismissed. The President of the Republic will undertake the sod-cutting, as scheduled, for the commencement of the Petroleum Hub Project for the benefit of the country,” the statement concluded.
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Meanwhile, the coalition has expressed disappointment in the presidency’s disregard and disinterest in their concerns.
“Your action, Mr President, flouts our communities’ right to free prior and informed consent. Using the power of the state to perpetuate the land grab of community lands without informed consent and adequate generational compensation is an abuse of the UN guidelines on business and human rights and infringes on communities’ right to a healthy environment and land rights,” the group said in a statement.
The Petroleum Hub Development Corporation (PHDC), aims to establish a private sector-owned $60bn Petroleum Hub on a 20,000-acre land in Jomoro Municipality in the Western Region.
Below is the full statement from the presidency
