A consortium of Ghanaian investors, in partnership with the Ghana Gas Company Limited, is to set up a Polyethylene Plant at Esiama in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region.
This can be done by using ethane from the gas produced by Ghana Gas which has high component of ethane that will be processed into polyethene and then plastic products.
The current gas production of the Atuabo Gas Processing plant has about six to ten percent of ethane and that will constitute the main raw material for the plant.
The polyethene plant will adopt splitting decomposition technology; the technology has the advantages of lowest unit cost, less investment and less pollution, its promoters say.
Also, the implementation of this initiative will allow the production of plastics and other finished products that will arise from it, making the Ellembelle district a hub for the export of plastic and plastic products to other countries.
The polyethylene plant is expected to be under the government’s flagship ‘One District, One Factory (1D1F) programme and will help create jobs and add to government revenue mobilisation
“With this polyethene plant, we have already submitted a proposal to Ghana Gas and the Chief Executive Officer has sent it to the technical committee; they are working on it as well as that of the One District, One factory” Mr. Kwasi Bonzoh, District Chief Executive of Ellembelle told B&FT in an interview at a Public Hearing on Draft Medium Term Development Plan meeting at Aiyinase in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region.
According to him, the plant is expected to create a minimum of 200 direct high-skilled jobs.
“The construction, which will take a period of about two years to be completed, is expected to take about 1000 jobs under contractors and sub-contractor”.
“When completed, it is expected to attract petrol chemical companies to take advantage of the opportunities that abound; the Free Zones Board has asked us to identify 500 acres in an area that can be industrialised so that they can set up a free zone enclave for companies that may come here to process the gas into whatever they want,” he added.
The DCE explained that the benefits of setting up the plant includes the opportunity to advance local content, employment, economic diversification and the application of advanced technologies in the growing oil and gas industrial chain.
“The creation of this allied industry will be beneficial to the economy of Ghana and also in line with government’s industrialisation plans boldly outlined under the 1D1F initiative”, he said.
He encouraged the people of Ellembelle, especially students, to study science and technical courses to be able to take advantage of jobs the oil and gas industry.
“We have to demand from the companies in our area to invest in the human resource of our people and not the construction of bore holes or toilet facilities; this is the time we have to grow the talents and skills at Elllembelle and we will make sure we achieve it”, Mr. Bonzoh said.
“I believe oil and gas should be a blessing for us all and I will urge District Assemblies to take active part in the oil and gas proceeds or else the youth will rise when they have no jobs to do; let us rise and fight for our Nzema land and the people”, he added.
