Accra — The Ghana Research and Advocacy Programme (G-RAP) chose the theme "Transparency, Accountability and Development of the Oil and Gas Industry in Ghana" for its 2009 Research and Advocacy Organisations (RAOs) convention which ended on Tuesday.

The convention deliberated on policy, legal and institutional frameworks, social implications of the oil find, local participation in the oil industry, and revenue management issues.

The theme for the occasion was timely and relevant, reflecting the most pressing issue of the moment - the discovery of oil and gas in commercial quantities in Ghana and how to manage these resources in a prudent and responsible manner.

For many Ghanaians, the emerging oil and gas industry in Ghana is of critical importance. Therefore, the negative experiences of other oil-rich African countries and Ghana's own negative experiences of the exploration and management of natural resources, particularly minerals and forestry resources, should serve as caution to the nation.

It is, therefore, worrying that the policy framework for governing the exploration and management of these resources and the revenue accruing thereof appear to have become 'classified documents' accessible to only few government officials.

Public Agenda gathered from the said convention that it is almost becoming impossible for Civil Society groups/NGOs to lay hands on these documents. In other words, government - precisely the Ministry of Energy - is holding things very close to their chest and nobody seems to know what their motivation is.

For now, the posture of government will remain a doubletalk unless it shows strict commitment to transparency. Government's failure to publicize the policy document means limiting the number of key actors, including communities, which can make input to the document.

We are of the opinion that prior to the formulation of any of such major policies, it is important that the input of civil society is sourced. Civil society is not only supposed to react to policies but they are supposed to be part of the formulation process.

The oil must count for all; so it is imperative for government to share the policy document with citizens and their representatives.