Oxfam wants Obama to support oil transparency in Ghana

The US branch of Oxfam International is in the process of gathering 25,000 signatories online across the world to put pressure on President Barrack Hussein Obama to support tougher oil transparency in Ghana.

Oxfam is of the view that it is time to give communities even more power over where the oil money goes.
So far it has raised 19,243 signatories and says there is no deadline until the 25,000 target has been reached.

A statement on Oxfam’s website says years of gold mining in Ghana have caused serious damage to the health of farming communities as well as the environment.

It says now, Ghana is about to develop its oil reserves, which could help end the country’s poverty, or make it even worse, if the oil money is not managed properly.

Oxfam says it is now going to take the fight to the ground, country by country, and they are starting in Ghana, to ensure that the oil money benefits the people of Ghana

For years, Oxfam and its supporters have worked hard to make sure that mining and oil companies are held accountable for the impacts they have on communities worldwide.

Oxfam recently helped pass legislation in the U.S. to make oil and mining companies open their books.

By Samuel Dowuona