Communities expected to be frontline beneficiaries of the oil find in the high seas off Cape Three Points will first have to contend with divisive chieftaincy crises, poor roads, as well as poor water and electricity supply, that threaten to minimise their gains from the find.

While the people of Cape Three Points believe that a peaceful and well-established chieftaincy institution will provide hope for them, the inhabitants of Princess Town and Egyambra, two other towns along the coast which also expect to benefit from the find, are worried that the chieftaincy crises in their communities may become serious drawbacks which will affect any benefits that can be derived from the oil find.

The communities are also wary of potential setbacks that can emerge as a result of the poor road network there.

All the three communities along the coast visited by the Daily Graphic have very poor road networks that make commuting very tortuous. All the communities also suffer from a shortage of potable water and electricity.

There is virtually no public transport system in all the communities and the inhabitants have to travel long distances on foot and along the long stretch of undulating roads.

Along the roads, local people can be seen carrying loads on their heads, while schoolchildren can be found resting, apparently after walking long distances.

It took the Daily Graphic news team more than two hours to cover the 22-kilometre road off the Dixcove road leading to Cape Three Points, a distance which should have taken less than 30 minutes to cover.

At a point, the road to Cape Three Points can be likened to a footpath because pedestrians have to move aside into the bush to allow oncoming vehicles to pass.

Two areas where investors are expressing much interest in are Princess Town and Egyambra where various parcels of land have been acquired by developers and the oil companies to use as their points of operation.

Despite the enormous advantages that will come to the communities when drilling commences, the two towns do not have substantive chiefs as a result of chieftaincy disputes.
 
For instance, at Princess Town, the assembly man is virtually acting as the chief, while although there is a chief at Egyambra, his legibility is being contested by a rival chief who is said to have deserted the town.

However, the two factions at Egyambra who said they did not want the interest expressed by investors to slip through their hands were said to have agreed to allow companies to start processing documents to commence business and have also provided a 400-acre land for the private investor to develop.

Some of the inhabitants who spoke to the Daily Graphic said the chieftaincy crisis had the potential of making the place unattractive, saying that might compel the investors to move to Takoradi and other parts of the district.

“Look at our roads, water and electricity supply. If there is peace and the investors come, we will gain from their presence and there will be more attention on us.
 
That is why we have to come together and stay united, since development and litigation are worlds apart,” one of the inhabitants said.

At Princess Town, where there is another chieftaincy dispute, a giant signpost states that the land has been acquired by a UK-based firm that plans to establish a hotel there.

But there could be an emerging dispute since, apparently, that same parcel of land is said to have been given to an indigene of the community who is said to be based in the US.

However, according to an opinion leader in the area, the issue is being resolved.

Story by Daniel Nkrumah & Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu.

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