Well said Susan, as a young petroleum engineer in Ghana, i really hope that our newly found oil reserves don't become a curse. Of particular interest to me is the freedom of information bill which i believe is still lingering in parliament.

Thanks!

Hi Susan.  Your post is interesting and informative. I have a few comments. First, I agree with James Kwame Ampadu regarding the freedom of information bill. This is critical for any serious attempts at uncovering or addressing corruption. Right now it is extremely difficult to get information in Ghana, meaning that journalists must rely on rumor, hearsay and off the record remarks -- not at all effective for investigation. This brings me to my second point: without clear, well reported information, new technology tools / citizen engagement may be of limited usefulness. You do mention that government officials ought to ensure that the citizenry is informed about what the government is doing with the oil money. I agree, but alas, Ghana does not yet have a (generalized) culture of publicly available government information. So, again, freedom of information is key. But, then, even when/if information becomes available, the public needs to know about it and understand how to engage with it. The role of the traditional media in this regard is more important than ever. In order for citizens to become active citizen journalists / watchdogs / participants they must not only have access to information, they need to know where it is, why it matters, and how they can use it. I am a big supporter of new technology, apps, tools etc. to boost citizen engagement and believe citizen journalism can play an important role in Ghana's oil industry (in many regards, not just corruption), but I think these efforts MUST go hand in hand with strengthening the traditional media. Finally, one question re anonymous tweets via phone. Can the fact that SIM cards must be registered dampen this type of initiative?

Some tweeting sites supposedly allow users to be anonymous...but in truth I can't vouch for that as a fact.  I appreciate your comment; Ghana needs FOI............

@Christiane RE anonymous tweeting: In my understanding, Twitter will not necessarily broadcast your cell phone number if you tweet from it, so the only way one can find out who tweeted is probably to bring a court order against Twitter.