It is my responsibility to ensure that all players in the oil and gas sector, especially the oil industry, recognize that achieving excellence in environmental management, health and safety, and relating well with the community in which the oil and gas industry operates not only contributes to business results by safeguarding people and conserving resources, but also serves as a useful indicator of effective management systems.
Together with my team, we would ensure that environmental management, health and safety, and community issues are considered as an integral part of the management of the petroleum resources of Ghana. Throughout all phases of the petroleum resource development, it is our objective to make sure that adverse environmental, health and safety, and social impacts of the petroleum resources development are minimize whilst the benefits are maximize to Ghanaians and other key stakeholders.
In line with this objective we have developed frameworks for the mitigation, management, monitoring, and institutional measures to be undertaken during the petroleum resource development. The industry players and the relevant public sector institutions have agreed work together to eliminate identified adverse environmental, health and safety, and social impacts, offset them or reduce them to acceptable levels.
We also intend to regulate the petroleum industry and its ancillary activities in accordance with our Enforcement Policy
Head of Department Profile
Mr. Kojo Agbenor-Efunam (formerly, Wilson Kwadzo Tamakloe) holds a BSc (Hon) Degree in Geological Engineering from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana and MSc Degree in Petroleum Geosciences from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
He also has a Diploma in Petroleum Policy and Resource Management, certificates in Oil spill Contingency Planning, Exclusive Economic Zone Management, Compliance & Enforcement and Information Management Systems. He has worked in the Environmental Protection Agency for the past twelve years as an Environmental Inspector, Geoinformation Management Specialist & IT Trainer, Desk Officer for the Ghana National Oil Spill Contingency Plan until his recent portfolio of being the Head of the newly created Petroleum Department.
He is currently the International Maritime Organisation focal person for Ghana under the GI WACAF project. He has travelled widely representing the EPA and the country in international fora, where he delivers papers and make presentations on behalf of the EPA and the country on environmental issues and oil spill contingency planning in Ghana.