Oil City Magazine June Small

6th edition2011Oil city

m a g a z i n e

Watching Takoradi’s Growth

Unique EnjoyingRelaxing

S w i m m i n g b e a c hW o r l d r e s t a u r a n tI s l a n d b u n g a l o w s

+ 233 ( 0 ) 264 24 1 549www . loumoon lodge . com

loumoon lodge@yahoo . com

Executive editorsEditor

Graphic design,photography,

& advert developmentMarketing

Evangeline SmithTeresa

ArtAccraSpike, Lucia & Rahman

CONTACTPhone us

Lucia +233 (0) 545.29.45.67Spike +233 (0) 275.77.20.58Rahman +233 (0) 200.60.09.05

[email protected]

Websitewww.oilcityghana.com

DISTRIBUTION

In TakoradiOil sector

offices and staff houses

& Spikes

Champs Sports barTillysSahara

Captain HooksAirport

Africa Beach HotelWARA

In AccraVenus, Osu

Alliance FrancaiseGalaxy, A&C shopping mall

WARA

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OUR BUSINESS PARTNER’S WEBSITES:

WWW.WsTafrican-rescue.comWWW.GmaWorld.comWWW.aximbeach.com

WWW.okaccra.comWWW.africabeachhoTel.com

WWW.africanrainboWresorT.comWWW.eGyamorphanaGe.com

WWW.alliancefrancaiseGhana.comWWW.cTslafrica.com

WWW.akosconTinenTalhoTelGh.com

WWW.ezilebay.comWWW.busuainn.com

THANKS TO THE CONTRIBUTORS:

exproragnar sass

paul ringdahlato ulzen-appiah

diana Tchasse simo

cover pagefelicia for being model for a day

& The gossiperseThel(estonia) Tania(ukraine)

emma(kenya), cassio(brazil) monika(poland) andre(libya)

allois(kenya) paVan(india) praVeen(india) esTher(singapour) sahil(india) aQua(lithuania) oGa

chuxx(Ghana) elisabeTh(sweden) uTku(Turkey) mani(iran) daVid(usa)

manTse(Ghana)

Oil city m a g a z i n e team

4 OilCityMagazine

edwin Drake completed the very first rig in 1859 in Pennsylvania. Though the depth was only 69.5

feet this rig launched the modern oil industry. The first well was producing 20 barrels a day. For those of us who are not familiar with drilling methods in the oil industry this issue introduces some basic information about how modern technology makes deepwater drilling possible.

In April, two international oilfield service companies officially opened their new custom-built facilities in Takoradi – Expro and Africa Oilfield Services Gh.ltd. oilcity magazine was present at the launch of these new facilities and you can learn more about it on the following pages .

a graduate student at stanford university and a member of the barcamp Ghana team, mr. ato ulzen-appiah writes about Takoradi’s predicted growth influenced by the expanding oil industry. “One thing many Ghanaians agree on is the fact that places like Sekondi and Takoradi are not going to be the same. They are about to be transformed.”

Edito

riaL

Evangeline SmithExecutive editor

www.oilcityghana.com 5

content

30Watching Takoradi’s growth

38Cholera

34Africa Oilfield Services Gh.Ltd

36Garage48Startups in Accra

10Going deep under water

8Han Palace Chinese Restaurant

6 OilCityMagazine

content

The hotel is well located in Beach Road an exclusive area West Takoradi with easy access to the city centre. A luxury resort fronted the mighty Atlantic Ocean with magnificent viewsThe hotel provides a superior standard of amenities and service. All the rooms have private

bathroom and showers, radio, TV, air-conditioning, same day laundry and dry cleaning, room service and small meeting room.

[email protected]

+233 (0) 31 2025 148+233 (0) 24 4322 144

Enjoy outdoor swimming pool with glorious views of the ocean

34Africa Oilfield Services Gh.Ltd


The new restaurant boasts lazy susans on some of its larger tables so if you come as part of a group this is the ideal way to share dishes between you. essentially the lazy susan (noone’s sure where the name originally came from but they feature in most chinese restaurants) is a glass turntable which sits on the dining table. The dishes of food are placed upon it and when you want to try something which is out of your reach you simply turn the lazy susan until the dish arrives in front of you. ettiquette is that when one person is turning the glass no one else should serve themselves lest messy accidents occur.

There are three partners in the new enterprise. The General manager is Gary leung who has worked extensively in chinese

restaurants in West africa including the highly rated saipan in Lagos. Stephen Shum first arrived in Takoradi in 1984 and owns the house where han palace is located. he says back then most socializing was via house parties. “The french guys would bring food from europe and we’d end up at their places and for chinese food everybody would come to

Gary Leung, General manager of the Han Palace Chinese restaurant in Takoradi.

Takoradi’s latest chinese restaurant,

the han palace, opened recently in beach road and oilcity magazine decided we should check it out on behalf of our loyal readers.

We discovered that one of the great things about chinese food is that it is designed to be shared. for those of us who often find ourselves eyeing up the food on our dining companions’ plates this has great appeal!

Han palace

chinese restauranttakoradi, Beach road

8 OilCityMagazine

our place”. The third partner is mr yip, the head chef who formerly worked at the imperial peking and dynasty chinese restaurants in accra.

They have employed a total of 30 staff most from Takoradi but a few key people from accra with

experience in chinese dining. The han palace places great emphasis on good service and all staff members underwent a rigorous four week training period under the expert hand of Gary leung.

The name of the restaurant comes from the han dynasty which spanned over four centuries and is regarded as a golden age in chinese history. Today 90 % of the Chinese population are Han people, and Han Chinese make up about 20% of the entire global human population, making it the largest ethnic group in the world. The han palace serves mostly han traditional food, which you can find in both Hong kong and mainland china. a speciality which you can try is the world famous peking duck in which roasted duck will be carved at your table, the skin used for pancakes and the meat fried with noodles. it comes in two courses which will feed about four or five people but must be ordered at least one day in advance. The restaurant is open every day for both lunch and dinner. it also offers a takeaway service. phone: 031 202 1999 or 020 392 1538.

Stephen Shum came to Takoradi in 1984.


Gas

Going deep

under water

It’s over six months now since the first oil was pumped from the Western Region’s Jubilee Field and oil is constantly in the news. Oilcity magazine takes a closer look at this important resource.

Way back in 1859 Edwin Drake built the first oil rig in Pennsylvania, USA. By today’s standards it was very shallow - a mere 21 metres (69.5 feet)- and produced between eight and 10 barrels of crude oil per day.|Fig. 7| Within a few short months oil fields were springing up across the northwestern Pennsylvania |Fig. 8| countryside and the petroleum industry was born.

how does petroleum form?

over millennia, as plants and animals die, they fall to the bottom of the sea or are washed by rivers, floods and

run-off from the land into basins. here they are covered in layers of sand and silt and, over a long period of time, these layers built up to thousands of metres, causing huge pressure and temperature. The residue left from the tiny plants and animals is subjected to a chemical reaction breaking them down into compounds made of hydrogen and carbon atoms commonly known as hydrocarbons which saturate the large areas of rock underneath. |Fig. 3|

how do we find oil?

While some oil is relatively easily accessible either on land or in shallow water other deposits lie deep under

the ocean floor, as is the case in the Jubilee Field. Modern oil geologists employ a variety of methods to find oil. They examine surface rocks and terrain, with the additional help of satellite images. They can use sensitive gravity meters to measure tiny changes in the earth’s gravitational field that could indicate flowing oil, as well as sensitive magnetometers to measure tiny changes in the earth’s magnetic field caused by flowing oil. They can detect

hydrocarbons using sensitive electronic noses called sniffers. finally, and most commonly, they use seismology, creating shock waves that pass through hidden rock layers and interpreting the waves that are reflected back to the surface. The shock waves travel beneath the surface of the earth and are reflected back by the various rock layers. The reflections travel at different speeds depending upon the type or density of rock layers through which they must pass. sensitive microphones or vibration detectors detect the reflections of the shock waves - hydrophones over water, seismometers over land. seismologists interpret the readings for signs of oil and gas traps. Once geologists find a prospective oil strike, they mark the location using Gps coordinates on land or by marker buoys on water. |Fig. 6|

oil drilling - the basics

Source: Expro

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1

2

4

510 OilCityMagazine

drilling

once initial exploration has discovered likely oil or gas

deposits the next stage is to start drilling. That is the only sure way to find out if the prospect contains oil and gas. even if the hole is dry a lot of information can be gained from the well. The well is drilled in sections of decreasing diameter. |Fig. 5| The very first head starting drilling is bigger than the one coming after. |Fig. 2| Once the first section is drilled, cement is pumped around the steel well casing (which surrounds the drill pipe) to fill the space between it and the wall of the borehole. This ensures the hole does not collapse. This process is repeated until the reservoir is reached. some oils are heavy and cannot reach the surface on its own so they drill another well and inject steam into it thus making the oil thinner and increasing the pressure in the well.

preventing “blow-outs”

TThe drilling technology had become so good since the first

field and demand for oil is irresistible. Oil companies had sailed off the continental shelf into deeper waters. Temperature on the seafloor is near freezing while the oil reservoir can reach 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Pockets of explosive methane gas and hydrates, frozen but unstable, increasing the risk of blowout. The biggest oil spill in the history happened just last year, 2010 The macondo Well in Gulf of mexico where one of the world’s most advanced rig, the $560 – million Deepwater Horizon burned after the April 20 well blowout and sank with the loss of 11 lives.

The weight of the drilling fluid acts as the first line of well control by keeping underground pressures in check. If an influx of pressurized oil or gas does occur during drilling, well control is maintained through

the rig’s blowout prevention system. This is a set of hydraulically operated valves and other closure devices (rams) which seal off the well, and route the wellbore fluids to specialized pressure controlling equipment. Trained personnel operating this highly reliable equipment minimize the possibility of a “blowout”, or an uncontrolled flow of fluids from a well.

if there was catastrophic failure and the “well” could not be contained, then the oil company would be likely to call in the world’s largest oil spill company. This is oil spill response ltd (OSRL) based In the UK and is funded by 70% of the world’s oil producers. Oil Spill Response has responded to over 350 spills in more than 25 countries. It is the only organisation with two hercules aircraft on permanent stand-by, it has three adds packs (aerial dispersant delivery system) and developed the award winning nimbus dispersant delivery device. The company has 24 hour and 365 day obligations to its members at a time of an incident where they will respond globally to any oil spill. responsible oil companies have contingency plans in place for such events which include trained personnel, oil spill equipment onshore and offshore on vessels and then osrl to call upon at the time of an unfortunate event. many oil companies around the world have small teams of first responders trained for these types of incidents and equipment to deploy as a first response till help arrives.

Drilling is the only sure way to find out if the prospect

contains oil and gas.

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12 OilCityMagazine

GOSSIPERS:ETHEL(Estonia) TANIA(Ukraine) EMMA(Kenya), CASSIO(Brazil) MONIKA(Poland) ANDRE(Libya) ALLOIS(Kenya) PAVAN(India) PRAVEEN(India) ESTHER(Singapour) SAHIL(India) AQUA(Lithuania) OGA CHUXX(Ghana) ELISABETH(Sweden) UTKU(Turkey) MANI(Iran) DAVID(USA) MANTSE(Ghana)

How we do

in Takoradigossip


Axim beach hotel

accomodaTion

Prices range from $10 (budget single room) up to $180 USD for a beautiful family villa. all prices include breakfast and VaT.

Extra guests - $10 per person.no charge for children under six years of age

during the high season an additional 20% is added to the room rate.

annual acTiViTies

christmas and new year20th December – 2nd Januaryactivities include beach party, buffet and barbecues, beach bonfire, traditional drumming and dancing and fire works. easter Thursday – Tuesdayactivities include beach party, buffet and barbecues, beach bonfire and traditional drumming and dancing.

kundum festivalevery august, please check exact dates with reception. Traditional african night with local cuisine, drumming and dancing.

please check the web page for updates on upcoming events hosted by axim beach hotel.

14 OilCityMagazine

naTure around

The area surrounding axim is naturally covered in rainforest and is lushly vegetated. The climate provides an array of habitats for a range of flora and fauna. In particular, Ghana is a very worthwhile birding destination, with over 180 species found across the country.some of the key birds that occur in Ghana are the white-crested tiger-heron, congo serpent eagle, long-tailed hawk, white-breasted guinea fowl, white-spotted flufftail, yellow – billed turaco, black throated coucal, rufous fishing owl, the yellow casqued and black casqued wattled hornbills and many more.The Ankasa Forest and Amansuri Wetlants which is only 40 minutes drive from Axim are some of the ideal forest and wetlands reserves worth visiting in the area to watch wildlife and nature.

spa

axim beach hotel is excited to announce that it will be adding a new service to its guests.The hotel will soon start providing traditional massage and relaxation therapies.please check our website for updates on these services.

perfect for a travelling family or friends, the family villa has beautiful ocean views overlooking the property.The villa accommodates a minimum of six guests, comprising of three bedrooms (two doubles and one twin room), each with its own bathroom.facilities include satellite television, telephone, air-conditioning, fan, mini bar, refrigerator, hot shower and veranda. The suite also has kitchen facilities and dining area.

P.O. Box 180axim – GhanaTelephone: 00233-342-22260 or 00233-31-92397mobile: 00233-24-4885920 or 00233-24-321106800233-20-8188772, 00233-20-8121753 or 00233-27-5557449Fax: 00233-342-22706e-mail: [email protected]

Visa, mastercard and american express accepted - no surcharges.

hoW To GeT To axim

Axim is located 55 kilometres west of Takoradi. Keep following the coast road through agona and abora and follow the signs and turn-off to axim. driving time is approximately one hour from Takoradi.

if taking public transport from accra, purchase a ticket at sTc bus station on Ring Road - Accra to Takoradi. Distance from Accra to Takoradi is 220 kilometres and takes approximately three hours.from Takoradi take a mini bus or taxi to axim. upon approaching axim, there are directional signboards to the hotel.


Comment ça va CÔte d’Ivoire A week like a nightmare

by Diana Tchasse Simo, Abidjan

Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast is just a few hours’ drive from Takoradi. Diana, a teacher from Lithuania, lives in Abidjan with her Cameroonian partner Wilfred and their small daughter Samantha. She has been writing an online diary about everyday life in Ivory Coast. Here she describes over the course of one week the impact of the recent turmoil on her family. Her article is a reminder to us of how fortunate we are in Takoradi and Ghana to live in peace and freedom.

MondayWilfred left for work with the last money we had in the house, the equivalent

of less than two Euros. As on every other weekday I went to buy fish and carrots to cook for lunch. For the first time I had to say to the woman selling the vegetables that i did not have money and i would pay in a week’s time. i started to cook when i got back as samantha was still sleeping. suddenly there was no more gas and i was then in the situation where i had no money, no gas, and my child would soon wake up hungry. moreover, even if i had money to buy gas there had been none available for at least two weeks.i heard my neighbour passing by. i told her i had no money and no gas and was in the middle of lunch preparation. Her gas was also finished but she went to her flat and found me 200 FCFA (about 30 Euro cents) to buy coal. It was challenging but I managed to finish cooking and fed Samantha.Wilfred came back a bit earlier than usual. he said the streets were quite empty and his company had stopped operating. All the international banks had closed indefinitely; national banks had no money, so people simply did not have money to run their business. he had received a Western union transfer from italy for some research he did for the company there but he couldn’t collect it because the WU offices are also closed. and even if one is open they refuse to pay out the money transferred from eu. Now I am wondering how I can get my flight back to LT because EU travel agencies as sn brussels airlines, air france and others have closed

TuesdayWilfred stayed at home because there was no activity at his company. We

borrowed some money from samantha’s godmother and went to the hospital for my pregnancy check-up. I am happy everything is fine and the doctor said I must travel by the end of april because may will be too risky.

WednesdayWe’re still trying to see how to get money. i am waiting for the last part of the

salary from the school, but no news. They seem to be in a complicated situation as well.

16 OilCityMagazine

ThursdayWilfred was not going to work again. Wu still refuse to pay his transfer. We sit in

the house and wait for news. around 7 pm. i got a call from school. They evaluated the first semester teachers and selected me as the best one! Around 10 pm I got a second call from the school asking me to come and take my cash tomorrow. Thank God!. Happy to know we can finally deposit our documents and get married in the next two weeks. happy to know we will be able to buy food and pay for the rent.

Fridayaround the time i was planning to leave for school i looked at the street and

it seemed strange, not as usual. Taxis taking unusual directions, people all around looking at the streets from their houses. i got myself and samantha dressed and we left. no taxis would stop and i was confused, not understanding what was happening. Then i decided to go to see samantha’s godmother who lives not far from us. she told me that there were shootings around 8am. Two cars were shot and some people and the road to cocody (the school is there) is closed. i called Wilfred to say that i would not able to leave. it means no money at least till monday again. What to do?i was forced to go back to the house. around midday i heard some shooting myself, i was scared, trying to call Will who was on his way back home but the connection was gone. finally he was back saying he had negotiated a taxi so that we can go to get my money. The road looked calm. We reached the school safely. i took my money. Jeeee!!!! Got back to the taxi to go home. On the way we saw at least 4 UN tanks. As we entered our living area we were stopped twice by the groups of young men. They made barriers on the road. one asked me to leave the car while opening my doors. i kept on sitting. They were checking other cars for guns or people hiding.

Just at the moment we reached the house the situation became critical. We heard shooting closer and further, all around. The street became empty in the next half hour. About 10 injured people were brought to the clinic in our house but the clinic refused to accept them. They didn’t want problems. Wilfred was watching through the window. some policemen with huge guns saw him and asked him not to watch. i was hiding trying not to show up through the window as i was cooking in the kitchen (still with coal).

After some time we all fell asleep. We woke up around 5 pm. Wilfred was telling me that there were two dead bodies next to the clinic which seemed to be the brothers of the new neighbour we have. he was so curious that he went out to see but the bodies were gone. On the way he bought some fruit. Just after he came back shootings started again. We saw some police cars passing our place.

This was the first fight like this in the area where we live but I heard that it is like this almost every day in abobo, the other living area. people are leaving their houses massively from there and abobo is now called baghdad of ivory coast.As I am writing it is Friday evening 7.45p.m. We just hope things won’t get worse during the night.

for sure there were many people killed during this day here. and it’s becoming scary when you see and hear everything with your own eyes.


Saturday morning.i was sleeping very well last night i guess

because of heavy rain and after such a tiring day. We didn’t hear any shootings during the night. The morning seemed calm but around 9 am. shootings started again. There is a road barrier made by the youth who are checking every passing car. unfortunately some of these ‘check ups’ are the opportunity to rob and we just saw one example in front of our house, when the taxi was stopped and one man grabbed the handbag of the woman and took her purse. sometimes they are very aggressive.

We ourselves are in an uncomfortable situation again. even we have money it’s dangerous now to leave the house. and i guess the market is not working so it is complicated to get food. There is some rice left in the kitchen and peanuts from which we can make sauce but not sure if we will have something for tomorrow. all local shops around are closed as well. you can see people in the street but it is not safe to be out.

A bit after midday we finally agreed that Wilfred would check how the market looks and buy things for a week. shootings have stopped, mostly because of un helicopters which are now in the air. despite the fact that the market was half empty we got some food. bravo. some savings for the next week.

SundayAlarm clock woke me up at 5.45 am.

usually i wake up at 6 am to cook breakfast for samantha and then we get ready to go to the Mass which starts at 7.15 am but this morning I was still afraid to leave the house so we decided to stay at home. street looks normal just fewer cars (mostly less taxis). i can see some shops opened; didn’t hear any shootings since I woke up. Well, let’s see how the day will pass and what monday will bring to us.

Since these entries the fighting has ended in cote d’ivoire and president ouattara was

inaugurated on 21 May. Hopefully peace will remain in the country.

18 OilCityMagazine

Artistic

h u m a n

expression is fundamental to

d e v e l o p m e n t


Photo competition

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Natureby Paul Ringdahl

20 OilCityMagazine

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

Oscar Wilde

Life through the left eye

The winner of the oilcity magazine photo competition for June is Takoradi resident Paul Ringdahl. Paul describes how he captured his subject

“Obviously the great migration is a spectacle that you must experience at least once in your lifetime. What is missing from the photo is the buzz you get by being there, the heat, the noise, the smell and the drama that unfolds in the waters with the crocodiles. It is just awesome!

The Lion photo was taken on a cloudy day BUT the sun broke through the clouds just for a moment and the Lion also started shaking his head. This is why you can see his mane the way it appears. Sometimes you are in the right spot at the right time with the right camera equipment. Today was that day. ”

nikon camera lover, paul ringdahl, had been an enthusiastic self-taught photographer from the age of 18. In the latter part of 2000, after returning from a safari in africa he tragically lost the sight in his right eye followed 2 months later by the sight in his remaining eye. After extensive surgery throughout 2001eye surgeon dr chris Gorman managed to restore the sight in his left eye. That was over 10 years ago. By 2003 there was a sudden and significant improvement in his vision and he rekindled his love of photography once more with a selection of top quality nikon cameras and lenses. his photos were published in magazines like nikon and national Geographic all over the world

paul and his friend brian Watson from rW engineering ltd (also a keen photographer) have jested about forming a camera club here in Takoradi offering advice on the use of your camera and helpful techniques that will see a dramatic improvement in your photography skills.


Photography and styling by Lucia Rybarova

Perfect picture

Boutique

Anaji, Takoradicall Anita for more

information and directionstel: 0205.336.663

22 OilCityMagazine

Trousersstripey dressShortsgreen topleggingspurple shirtlittle black dress

50.- Ghc55.- Ghc40.- Ghc40.- Ghc25.- Ghc45.- Ghc60.- Ghc

Black woodGhana

Metal ballBurkina faso

Brown woodGhana

Amber earringsKenya

120 Ghc

250 Ghc

120 Ghc

35 Ghc

West african necklesses


spike'sbar and restaurant

pub & restaurantintercontinental &

Ghanaian kitchengarden/open terrace

live musicflat screen pool tableFree wi-fi

location: Ama akroma road, opposite police

station

Drinks with Pop Corn, Cocktails, Charcoal

Grilled Meat & Steaks, Burgers and more

Open: 7 Days/week,

12 noon- till late

24 OilCityMagazine

B ra n d n e w u n d e r w e a r s h o p n ex t t o A d w o a Af ra m a s h o p p i n g m a l l , c l o s e t o S h i p p e r s r o u n d a b o u t i n Ta k o ra d i .

Co nta c t : Te l : 0 2 4 4 . 5 3 2 . 5 0 4 / 0 2 4 0 . 9 3 0 . 0 9 3

E m a i l : g g i r l s 2 s i g n a t u r e s @ h ot m a i l . co m


WATCHING GUIDING AIDING

Ghanaians have been giddy about the oil discovery on the Western shores of Ghana. some are

looking to work in the potential oil industry, while others are looking to do business around it. some of the job expectations are unrealistic, people say. some are sceptical how much money Ghana will really raise from the oil production and whether we might misuse it. The Western region’s traditional leaders want at least 10% of all oil revenue and many Ghanaians don’t like that idea. one thing many Ghanaians agree on is the fact that places like sekondi and Takoradi are not going to be the same. They are about to be transformed. if you read the news or have asked Takoradi residents, Takoradi is

transforming. We should watch, guide and tailor this transformation in the absolute best interest of Ghana’s development. a recent news story mentions that The Western regional coordinating council has announced a number of measures being initiated to maximize the benefits of Ghana’s oil and contain the influx of persons and the pressure that would be on infrastructure in the region, mainly Takoradi of course.

Source: http://news.myjoyonline.com

Gentrification

A socio-cultural displacement that results

when wealthier people acquire property in low

income and working class communities. Consequent

to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size

decreases in the community, which sometimes results in the eviction of lower-income residents because of increased rents, house

prices, and property taxes.)

from speaking to some relatives and friends who live in Takoradi and know the place well, rent rates and housing prices are going up and skyrocketing.

it could reach the same land ownership rates in accra. apparently, some room owners have started increasing the rent to exorbitant prices or are asking the tenants to move because they can charge ‘the new people moving to work in Takoradi’ much higher rates and that they can pay.

yes, many international companies are starting to make their marks in Takoradi, They are employing their expatriate employees who have more buying power and other professionals trained at Tech (knusT) and legon or folks who’ve been living in Accra. This is what folks will call ‘gentrification’ in other parts of the world. it’s troubling for local residents. The new houses and apartmentsthat will be built (thanks to the booming real estate business) will be out of the price range. i haven’t heard the government talking about low-cost housing in these areas. private sector want to make money.

26 OilCityMagazine

chief director of the council, mr david yaro, remarked: “education, water, our road network

need to be expanded because the volume of traffic is going to increase, sanitation, crime - putting pressure on existing facilities. so all these are areas, politically, we are looking at, so the police are being equipped, the navy is being resourced to [protect Ghana’s marine].”it seems the Western regional council, the shama ahanta east metropolitan assembly and co understand the potential growth and are taking steps to meet it with the necessary plans and policies. i don’t think

the onus should fall on them alone. Ghana must want to see Takoradi do well. accra is choked with too much expectation. We need to divvy the wealth and grow other parts of Ghana. This is a perfect opportunity to develop a metropolis that would not

be be deviled with the problems accra is facing. it’s why we organized barcamp Takoradi to help residents there understand what special place Takoradi can hold

on Ghana’s landscape. The theme was “leading & enterprising in an oil & Technology fuelled economy”.

Takoradi's growth

by Ato Ulzen-AppiahA graduate student at Stanford University and a

member of the Barcamp Ghana team.May 10, 2011

The current population in the region - 2,325,597 - is a lot but it’s a safe guess to say more than half of that number is in sekondi-Takoradi. We’ve seen a lot of big mining companies operate in Tarkwa and other areas, but we haven’t seen the development there. of course, they provide some amenities for their employees and their families but these areas are the anti-Johannesburg. Learn how Johannesburg became what it is today. Johannesburg’s growth into the top centre of commerce in

africa was due to the gold mining industry in the nearby areas. Takoradi can and should become a similar case. It already houses the Effia Nkwanta hospital, biggest in the region, and it is going to become overstretched, necessitating the need for a bigger health facility. There are plans for a new ultra modern regional hospital, possibly to be sited in the shama district.

I hear of a lot of training programs in and around Takoradi,

with people being promised access to new jobs.


barcamp Ghana is a project being run by the GhanaThink foundation,<http://www.ghanathink.org/>an nGo based both in Ghana and the usa. a barcamp is a user-generated conference (or unconference). it is an open, participatory workshop-event, whose content is provided by participants. The barcamp Ghana events are organized to forge networking, discussion, partnerships and change. The goal is to help Ghanaians learn about the issues that affect them, generate ideas for development, network and partner with others who have similar interests and improve or start businesses and projects. The barcamp Ghana team has successfully organized six barcamps in Ghana and plans to organize about 8 Barcamps in Ghana in 2011.

also, to check out the Takoradi Technical institute and its fabrication lab. a fab lab is a small-scale workshop with an array of flexible computer controlledtools that cover several different length scales and various materials, with the aim to make “almost anything”. little things like this can drive innovation and development in Takoradi. We can’t be sleeping on these things.

for the development of any town/city, watching the development of the human resources and the local education are extremely important. i hear of a lot of training programs in and around Takoradi, with people being promised access to new jobs. some are actually using this promise to pull some sakawa and 419 on unsuspecting individuals. Either way, I hope that the many graduates coming out of the Takoradi polytechnic and neighboring educational

institutions will find their bearings in the burgeoning local economy. it is extremely important, because these are the folks who will make sure the local development is sustainable. This is also where the small businesses in Takoradi should take advantage of these opportunities to increase their portfolios and find capital to grow.

i hope the many international or big local companies that will be gaining footholds in the twin-cities invest in infrastructure - such as education and health. The local, regional councils and state will take care of the rest with the oil money. it’s the way it should work. let’s get this right. We’ve had obuasi, akwatia, arkwa, aboso. let’s make Takoradi ‘krabehwe’, a place that will attract people from far and near because of its success story. erm, and sekondi too :-)

ps: you should also check out Ghana oil Watch (http://ghanaoilwatch.org/), a good resource for news surrounding the Oil find, and related news. They are on Twitter and facebook. i wish there were some kind of Takoradi watch sites too. We’ll be watching anyway.

Visit: www.barcampghana.org

Also read author’s blog: http://mightyafrican.blogspot.com/

28 OilCityMagazine

Electrical goods, electronics, computers & accessories

Home appliancesautomatic voltage stabilizers, stand, ceiling, desk & idustrial fans, LED, LCD plasma TV, box TV, tv antennas, chest refrigerators, air conditioners, beverage coolers, microwaves, DVD players, juice extractors, washing machines, tumble dryers, blenders, freezers, stereos, cookers, irons, kettles

Computers and accessoriesdesktops, laptops, netbooks, mini laptops, printers, cartrige toners, surround speakers, hard drives, routers, pci cards, keyboards, mouse, usb cables, laptop bags

FIND US@ Market circle, Takoradi. Opposite

Beach road taxi station. Tel: 031 - 2022700

@ Adwoa Aframa Mall, near Chapel Hill School on Shippers Council

road. Tel: 031- 2027889 / 2027804

Email: [email protected]


Africa Oilfield Services Gh.Ltd

abouT us

Africa Oilfield Services Limited (AOS) is an oil Well services and drilling Tools rental company providing value added technical l service solutions to e&p clients since 1981 offering fishing, well intervention, wireline, pipe recovery, production logging, machine shop, pressure control services, etc.

We launched our new state of the art facility in Takoradi on April 15th. The new site offers a machine shop providing welding, manufacturing and fabrication as per customer specification. We are well known for our on time delivery and best quality, competitive prices, certified material ensuring long life for products and not a single failure report for the past five years.

“We are a professionally managed world class Company. We are continually growing through our investment in personnel, equipment, new facilities, technology and our capacity to deliver quality, reliable and efficient services to our clients while adhering to highest safety standards in the industry. In 1997 AOS became the first company in Nigeria to achieve ISO 9002 certification through the British Standards Institution (BSI). ”

conTacT

accra & Takoradi office42 Giffard Road, East Cantonments

P.O.Box CT 2946, AccraTel: +233 (0) 546 267 275

email: [email protected]@aosltd.com

30 OilCityMagazine

The Vision

* To become the company of first choice for our clients, meet their needs and expectations, provide and

exceed international standards and value added specialized services to ensure continuous growth and expansion in the West Africa Oilfield industry. * committed to work and operate safely and efficiently with special attention to our personnel development, the host communities and the environment. * To add value to the economy by maximizing local engineering expertise, technical knowledge and transfer of technology to the communities where we operate.

The mission

* To understand, meet and exceed our customer’s present and future needs for high Quality, value for money, production and services. * To develop innovative

service techniques. * To attain the highest

achievable standard of occupational health and

safety in the management and execution of projects

and implementation of our services.

* To care for the local communities in which we operate

and ensure the highest level of performance in protecting the

environment. * To achieve profitable growth

and attractive return on capital for our shareholders.

* To set the standards in the industry by ensuring that Quality is at the forefront of all our services.


bill Gates started microsoft in his garage, apple also started in a garage while youtube and many

other of today’s multi-million dollar companies known worldwide started as small projects.perhaps you too have a big idea but lack the means to execute it or the confidence to go further. Garage48 is a startup development group connecting people with similar interests and different specialisations which aims to give budding entrepreneurs a helping hand in turning their bright ideas into real business. The first Garage48 event was held Tallinn, Estonia in 2010 and attracted 100 participants. Fifteen projects were launched with the most popular project being a website where you can search for a babysitter for the evening. now babysitters from all over estonia register on the website map so people looking for a babysitter can easily find one in their area. four similar events were held in estonia, latvia and finland over the past year followed by nine projects in nigeria, six in Ghana and one in kenya. participants have been inspired to put their ideas to work, and have made new friends and potential business partners. many of those who met at the events still work together as a team to build the ideas into successful startups. an inspirational and supportive environment is an important prerequisite for the birth of new ideas. having a good business and social network is increasingly important to starting a successful new business. in many african countries the potential iT market is huge but the iT sector is only making its first tentative steps. Ragnar Sass is Garage48’s champion in Africa and he has been visiting nigeria and Ghana meeting up with talented developers. The weekend bootcamps

which Garage 48 organizes help build the local startup community and provide those talented developers with connections with successful entrepreneurs in europe and america.Ragnar says he has been asked why Garage48 goes to africa, instead of india or other european countries. “i believe that spread of the internet has changed the ways of business all over the world and that the next successful startups can come from whatever continent or country. What’s important is the team, its skills and motivation to get things done. not every iT startup necessarily needs to be the next Google or facebook, sometimes it is as valuable if the startup can solve problems of local people and be reasonably profitable.”

He says Garage48 works on the following principles:1. You can turn an idea into a working service or prototype within a weekend.2. New web and mobile projects can be started with a good team and really lean budget.3. Teaching people to work under tough deadlines by focusing on core issues.4. Getting to know new people from other industries, roles and countries. 5. Less talk, more action and fun!

Garage48 foundation was started by six entrepreneurs from estonia and is supported

and sponsored by Google and nokia. The two sponsors are strongly encouraging Garage48 to expand in africa and are interested in building supportive environments for business activities in african countries and thereby helping african to progress.

32 OilCityMagazine

1 www.housingdirectorygh.com

one of the biggest challenges with the housing market is the lack of quality data on available properties for rent. housingdirectoryGh,

which was the winner of the accra weekend brings together people looking for accommodation and people offering rooms or apartments. it is a channel for finding rooms and apartments. The portal includes maps and preference listings. it’s particularly helpful for students and people moving town.

2http://electronicpa.com/

electronicpa – an electronic personalized assistant, helping with making appointments, meetings and providing personalized

reminders via sms, voice calls and e-mails.

3http://eazyresponse.co.cc

The winner of the public vote from the accra weekend was eazyresponse. This is a web hosted application which allows schools to

sign up and upload students’ details for sending notifications to the students’ parents or guardians. The application is useful for sending student reports, school bills, meeting notifications and emergency contacts to parents. Schools can manage their profile online and personalize recipient information all to their own specifications.

4http://app.oneitemperday.biz/

one item per day is online retailer offering the best bargains on one product per day. you can check out the deal of the day very quickly

once a day. There’s always a chance you’ll find just what you were looking for at a great price!

5http://ghupps.connectgh.com

GHUPPS Document Depot (Ghana Unified public private system) is a one stop shop for document retrieval. Ghupps is a system

to categorize and organize documents for ministries and other state entities in the public sector. for the private sector it provides secure document storage with a unique access address. in the future there is the option to digitize older documents and bring them into the system.

6www.backtoGhana.com

back to Ghana brings back home Ghanaian talents from abroad and connects them with potential employers and business opportunities!

Ghanaians studying and living abroad can easily get information about job opportunities in Ghana while Ghanaian companies can get information about potential homegrown employee.

A Garage48 weekend was held in Accra in May 2010 and the following projects emerged as a result:


choleraTHE AUTHOR:

Dr L Deckerfranklyn medical services

cholera is a severe acute gastrointestinal infection caused by the bacteria Vibrio cholerae (V.

cholerae). The bacterium is found in contaminated food and water and also in stools and vomit of patients with cholera. One in 10 infected people may show signs. it is not unusual though to have individuals without symptoms (asymptomatic individuals) shedding bacteria in their stool for about a week to 14 days after infection, putting others at risk.

V Cholerae can survive up to 2 weeks in fresh water and 8 weeks in salt water. This fact should let us rethink washing our vegetables in brine since this process may not completely kill off all bacteria. cooking foods thoroughly and eating food while still hot may be the best way to safeguard your meals.

Who is aT riskeveryone who drinks or eats food that has

not been treated to eliminate V.cholerae is at risk, but you are more at risk if you are malnourished or immune compromised. Children under 5 years of age are more susceptible than older children

hoW do i knoW i haVe cholera?There are a few questions that you could ask

yourself when you get diarrhea.

1. Do you have a rice- water stools? cholera gives a signature diarrhea referred to as rice- water stools. The stools are watery with a mild, fishy smell, clear fluid with flecks of mucus –and that is why i guess it found the name ‘rice water’ stools. it has also been described by some public health authorities as having the appearance of water in which rice has been washed – watery, pale, milky in appearance. The diarrhea may start a few hours to 5 days after getting infected. It is severe and

usually without pain or colic.

2. Do you have nausea or vomiting? fluid gushes effortlessly from the bowel and the stomach and vomiting will also be a significant cause of fluid loss and electrolyte imbalance. Vomiting usually stops once patient is rehydrated.

3. do you have sunken eyes, extreme thirst, cold clammy skin, wrinkled skin, muscular cramps, low blood pressure, low urine output, imperceptible pulse? Dehydration is significant and sudden in onset with cholera related diarrhea and is a significant cause of mortality. Dehydration could set in within the first few hours of onset of symptoms.

4. A fever is rare and usually only occurs in children

hoW do i GeT cholera?V. cholerae bacterium infects the small bowel

producing a toxin that gives rise to symptomsyou can get cholera from drinking contaminated

water, eating contaminated food especially poorly preserved and cooked seafood.so when eating out, it’s better to stay away from cold salads and foods and stick to hot cooked meals. also try and have your cold drinks without ice even when your

restaurant appears to be serving bottled water - as the source of the bar ice could be different.

hoW is iT diaGnosedduring a cholera epidemic, clinical diagnosis is

usually easy, mainly because healthcare professionals are on the ‘alert’ for symptoms. a stool culture or rectal swab is used to isolate the bacterium and confirm diagnosis.

WhaT do i do When i firsT noTice sympToms?

dehydration caused by cholera can be extreme and life threatening. as soon as diarrhea starts, it is important to start with rehydration. because you are losing water and electrolytes in your stool and vomit, drinking water alone is never enough. 1. Pre packed oral rehydration salts (ORS/dextrolyte) are readily available in most pharmacies/ chemists across the country. These are ready to mix with 600ml of clean water. Drink as often as you can, whilst you have diarrhea, especially after every

Not all diarrheal diseases are the same, so the next

time you get diarrhea and think you have food poisoning, think again.

34 OilCityMagazine

loose stool. your aim is to try and replace as much fluid and electrolytes lost in each stool. Thereafter drinking 250ml every half hour will do till you get your nearest health facility

2. If you don’t have oral rehydration salts, then clear soups in similar quantities will provide the required electrolytes instead of water alone.

3. Vomiting is usually very difficult to deal with and is a sign (in any type of diarrhea) that you should seek medical advice.

TreaTmenTcholera is a serious diagnosis with public health

significance and should not be treated at home. once you suspect you have it, it is better to see a Gp who would give you some type of first aid/palliative care and refer you to a cholera Treatment centre.

maintaining circulation by replacing water and electrolytes is the focus of treatment. The earlier this is started the better the end result. if you are severely dehydrated then you may need a drip to quicken or jumpstart the rehydration process.A course of specific antibiotics will be given along with fluids in a Cholera Treatment Centre.because of the public health importance of cholera, treatment centers in Ghana are usually specific Public Health facilities with staff trained to manage cholera cases. here is a list of a few. your regular Gp may also be able to suggest a centre close to you.adabraka polyclinic – accrakorle-bu polyclinic – accracentral hospital - cape coastEffiia Nkwanta Hospital - Takoradi

preVenTionsimple prevention methods hold true here.

When travelling to a cholera endemic area

1. Drink only bottled or boiled water. 2. Avoid asking for ice with your drinks as source of water used is uncertain.3. only eat raw fruits and vegetable you can was and peel yourself. keeping in mind that washing or soaking vegetables and fruit in brine may not completely eliminate V. cholerae4. Wash hands regularly (especially when preparing meals at home or eating).

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Welcome to Abandze . Located on the Accra - Cape Coast road

(about 20 min before Cape Coast, 10 min past Mankesim).

Call us : 0244 576 439 http://abandzebeach.com/

Useful numbers in oil city

Police 191Fire Service 192Ambulance 193

Properties renting AML 0545.29.4567Car rentals Eazy ride 020.299.2727

Legal Lawyer Seth Awuku 0243.022.027Mason Isaac Assuman : 0206.465.282

Electrician G. Lurbi: 0277740797Plumber Daniel Essuman: 0268.681.821

Welder Moses Lartey: 0275.634.268Auto-Mechanic: Tawiah: 0277.156.453

TAx administration, accountancy and auditing

Ankomah Hackman - Hickisco Consultancy Service 0208.270.769 /

0274.863.751Graphic design ArtAccra 0545294567

Web design OKStudios 0201190194Corporate Training AML

Recruitment 0545.29.4567Supplier of Sea food Lobster, Cassava Fish

etc. E. Quaye: 0203.313.727 Home massage Annie 0209.896.006

Relax

36 OilCityMagazine

beach road2 BEDROOM house. Fully furnished

Airport RidgeGerman house, 5 bedrooms. Fullly furnished

&4 bedroom house with swimming pool. Fully

furnishedAnaji

2 bedroom suites plus 4 bedroom suites. Fully furnished

&9 bedroom house with good view of the city. Fully

furnishedWindy Ridge

5 bedroom house. Fully furnishedAnaji

5 bedrooms. Fullly furnished. Oposite Scala spotAnaji namibia

10 bedroom house. Fully furnished.funko

9 bedroom house 100 m from Funko beach. Fullly furnished.

for more info about properties listed above call GORGH @ 0544.350.664

E-mail: [email protected]: 0545.29.4567

Team buildings & management

Leadership

Effective communication Customer service

Departmental retreats

Technical Administrative Domestic Managerial Skilled

staff for your company

Takoradi: north chaple hillaccra: dzowulu (behind shell filling station)Tel: [email protected]@eaziryde.com

- saloon cars- 4x4 Pick-ups - 4x4SUV’s - luxury vehicles

- minibuses and buses- light trucks and heavyhaulage & logistics

vehicle rental

HUMAN RESOURCES

CORPORATE TRAINING

HOUSE FOR RENTexecutive house on beach front location in beach

road, Takoradi. 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and 1 guest toilet.Very spacious. for rent. contact [email protected] or Tel: 0275772058

Do you have a property you want to rent out?

email [email protected]


ingredients

* 1 (3 pound) whole chicken

* 4 carrowts, halved * 4 stalks celery, halved * 1 large onion, halved

* water to cover * salt and pepper to taste

* 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (optional)

directions

1. Put the chicken, carrots, celery and onion in a large soup pot and cover with

cold water. heat and simmer, uncovered, until the chicken meat falls off of the bones

(skim off foam every so often).

2. Take everything out of the pot. strain the broth. pick

the meat off of the bones and chop the carrots, celery and onion. season the broth with salt, pepper and chicken bouillon to taste, if desired. return the chicken, carrots, celery and onion to the pot,

stir together, and serve.

Bon appetite!

RECIPEChicken soup

for the soulpreparation time

30min

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CHINESE RESTAURANTauthentic chinese food

Tel: 03120 21999 / 020 3921538 Opening Hours: 11:30am-3pm and 6pm-10:30pm

beach road, Takoradi

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