Tullow Oil helps Ghana become newest oil nation

Ghana is poised to begin pumping oil for the first time, kicking off a lucrative new industry expected to bring a billion US dollars annually to a part of the world where most people still get by on less than two dollars a day.

But critics warn the west African country, one of the most stable and democratic on the continent, has yet to pass crucial legislation to avoid what is known in Africa as the “resource curse”. In places like Congo and Nigeria, oil or mineral wealth has fuelled conflict instead of boosting desperately needed development.