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Some major companies in the Western Region have begun rolling out strategies to safeguard their facilities following the recent terrorist attack in Cote d’Ivoire and the revelation by the National Security Council that Ghana and other West African neighbours are at high risk of an attack.

The region plays host to many strategic installations and managers of these facilities are on high alert, with the support of community members, especially those along approved and unapproved entry points to avert any attack.
Installations

Currently, the Western Region hosts the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant and its supporting metering stations, with more than 111-kilometre gas pipelines stretching over eight districts and 60 communities from Ellembelle to the Shama District.

That aside, the country’s biggest thermal power enclave at Aboadze in the Shama District is also located in the region.

To ensure that they are not overtaken by events, the Ghana National Gas Company (Ghana Gas) has urged its community relations team and the security agencies in its operational area to adopt proactive measures to educate members of more than 60 communities on what to look out for as the country faces imminent threat.

Meanwhile, internal and external security at the plant, its metering stations and the stretch of the pipelines has been intensified.

The operators have also developed plans to ensure constant engagement with host communities to enable the people to understand the situation at hand.

Community members, chiefs and opinion leaders have welcomed the move and are being educated on how to detect and report strange activities or visitors to their areas to enable national security to act swiftly.

Worthy partners

Speaking to the media, the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Gas, Dr George Adja-Sipa Yankey, said the company was engaging stakeholders and the various communities where the projects were located as worthy partners in ensuring overall security of the nation’s gas infrastructure.

He said to enhance the protection of the nation’s premier gas infrastructure, Ghana Gas had decided to call a meeting of key heads of security within its operational areas to assess threat levels and map out plans and strategies to enhance collective security.

The deliberations, he said, would create the platform for sharing information on potential and reported disturbances to the gas infrastructure.

The community

Dr Yankey said Ghana Gas had directed its community relations officials to draw up a plan of engagement with indigenes in the 60 communities.

“In the present-day fight against threats, security has become a shared responsibility. We need everyone to buy-in on that shared responsibility. We need to take ownership of our collective security by being vigilant.

“In the interim, let us all remain alert and support the fight against terrorism. Remember that security is everyone’s business. If you see something, say something,” he added.