Is Ghana really ready for oil?

Is Ghana ready for an oil disaster? It’s difficult to find officials who want to talk about the subject. Most prefer saying things like, “We learned many lessons from the Deepwater Horizon spill,” and, “It can’t happen here.” Truth is (and everyone knows this), a disaster can strike anywhere.

Ghana has been producing oil from its offshore Jubilee field since December 2010, yet still lacks monitoring vessels, equipment and personnel. The country has an “oil spill response plan” — on paper — but could Ghana actually respond to and deal with a significant oil spill?

This video and a new article published today on iwatch news explore the state of Ghana’s environmental regulation and emergency preparedness.

This is not simply a Ghanaian problem. There’s not a single country in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea region prepared to face a major spill. But drilling is booming and few are paying attention to what’s really going on offshore.

Please read the article, share it, like it, recommend it and all that stuff. Several follow-up stories are in the works and, as always, it’s your interest and support that allow me to continue this work.

The article on iwatch news:
http://www.iwatchnews.org/2012/01/19/7896/west-africa-oil-boom-overlooks-tattered-environmental-safety-net

Additional stories, photos and videos about Ghana’s oil are up at the Pulitzer Center:
http://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/ghana-oil-offshore-platform-kwame-nkrumah-environment-fishing-industry