{"id":247408,"date":"2016-09-13T06:00:25","date_gmt":"2016-09-13T06:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=247408"},"modified":"2016-09-13T06:00:25","modified_gmt":"2016-09-13T06:00:25","slug":"obrempongs-oil-diary-stop-unfair-regional-distribution-of-oil-cash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/09\/obrempongs-oil-diary-stop-unfair-regional-distribution-of-oil-cash\/","title":{"rendered":"Obrempong\u2019s Oil Diary: Stop unfair regional distribution of oil cash"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Petroleum Revenue Management Act [PRMA] 893 [Previously 815], explicitly provides for an even distribution of the oil revenues among the 10 regions of Ghana.<\/p>\n
Section 21 (2c) reads and I quote, \u201cthe use of the annual allocation of the Annual Budget Funding Amount shall be [used] (a) <\/em>to maximize the rate of economic development; (b) <\/em>to promote equality of economic opportunity with a view to ensure the well-being of citizens; and (c) <\/em>to undertake even and balanced development of the regions<\/em><\/strong>; (c)<\/em> guided by a medium term expenditure framework aligned with a long term national development plan approved by parliament\u2026\u201d. My emphasis is on \u201cto undertake [even] <\/em>and [balanced] <\/em>development of the regions\u201d.<\/p>\n This to me suggests that, if the finance minister is choosing which project under the priority areas he wants to spend the Annual Budget Funding Amount, he should be minded of section 21(2c) of the law that, if he is going to finance educational projects in the western region or any other region, other regions must get similar value of the ABFA [even if not for education in the other regions] such that other regions will have same money to develop their prime concerns\u00a0 in the selected priority areas in order for him to satisfy the provision in the law.<\/p>\n The spirit of subsection c, whichever way one looks at it, is to discourage the spending of majority, or all of oil revenues in one or two regions to the detriment of the others.<\/p>\n Now, the Public Interest and Accountability Committee, PIAC, has been publishing how much each of the 10 regions in the country is\u00a0receiving from the distribution of the revenues.<\/p>\n This is where and why what PIAC says in its report is critical. [Refer to my earlier letter to PIAC<\/a><\/strong><\/span>]. PIAC looks at the individual projects going on in each of the 10 regions funded by the oil for each year since 2011. But how can the accuracy of this regional distribution be accepted when over four projects said to be in the Western region are not in fact in the region but in other regions?<\/p>\n To add to that, the monies said to be spent on those project runs into many millions of cedis, suggesting that the western region is receiving majority of the oil revenues. That is unfair and it does not satisfy the spirit of subsection C above.<\/p>\n Proper scrutiny is required. It is for this same reason the Finance Ministry must provide credible and sufficient information on the projects.<\/p>\n That said; to the main issue now.<\/p>\n Regional distribution of oil revenues-2011-2013<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Between 2011 and 2013, the Western Region received the largest share of spending allocations from ABFA (27%) over the 3 year period. [Including projects in other regions, but said to be in the western region].<\/em> It is followed by Ashanti region with 15%, Eastern and Greater Accra both had 14% and the Volta Region (10%).\u00a0 Is that even and balanced development of the regions? \u00a0How even and balanced is this?<\/p>\n Volta10%, Brong-Ahafo 7%, Central 4%, Northern 4%, Upper East Region 4%, Upper West Region 1%. Even and balanced distribution indeed!<\/p>\n Regional distribution of oil revenues-2014<\/strong><\/p>\n Oil revenues in the form of ABFA were also disbursed among the regions in 2014. In this year\u2019s disbursement, there was a category introduced called \u201cothers\u201d. PIAC explains why\u2026<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026some of the projects cut across regional boundaries and benefit more than one region because of thenature of the project. For example the Ghana Gas project [at Atuabo in the Western Region] is a national project which will benefit the entire nation even though it is located in the Western Region. The Accra \u2013 Kumasi highway is another example of cross regional investment which will benefit regions in the northern sector of the country\u201d. So projects of this nature funded by the ABFA fall under the \u201cother\u201d category.<\/p>\n Beyond these projects, there were other monies that were shared among the regions.<\/p>\n