32 33 For more information on the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights in Ghana, please see the country’s website dedicated to their implementation: www.ghanavps.org. Working in Partnership with Civil Society and Business Kosmos maintains regular contact with civil society organizations in Ghana such as the African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), the National Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), and the Ghana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GHEITI). GHEITI is an important forum that Kosmos uses to engage on issues of revenue transparency and anti-corruption. We are a private sector member of the GHEITI multi-stakeholder group, which oversees the public reconciling of payments and receipts between government and extractive companies. Ghana recently completed its seventh oil and gas reporting cycle. Kosmos has been a part of the process in Ghana since its inception. In 2018, Kosmos supported and participated in the Ghana Gas Forum, the country’s leading independent natural gas policy event, which brings together stakeholders from business, government and civil society to discuss the potential of Ghana’s emerging gas industry. The output of the forum was presented to the government for potential inclusion in the National Gas Master Plan. In addition, Kosmos was the only oil and gas company to support and participate in the annual New Year School and Conference at the University of Ghana, Legon. Organized by the School of Continuing and Distance Education, the event convened experts in various fields to debate issues related to Ghana’s development, focusing on the role of the private sector in job creation. Editors and journalists are important stakeholders in Ghana, as they regularly write about domestic oil and gas activities and their work often shapes public understanding. In 2018, we again sponsored the annual Ghana Journalist Awards, a forum that encourages professionalism and innovation in news reporting across Ghana. Independent Advisory Council Kosmos created an independent advisory council comprised of respected Ghanaian business leaders in 2014 to demonstrate our long-term commitment to the development of Ghana. The advisory council guides the company and serves as a sounding board as we work to support Ghana’s socio-economic needs and management of oil and gas resources. The six advisory council members provide key insights that influence our business and above- ground approach. Members of the council were selected based on their business knowledge, diverse points of view, and history of success leading companies in Ghana. The advisory council has even taken an active role in the Kosmos Innovation Center by volunteering as guest lecturers and business mentors. There is natural alignment between Kosmos and Ghana when it comes to creating a well-managed and increasingly productive petroleum sector. Grievance Mechanism Although we did not operate any drilling activities in Ghana in 2018, we continued to maintain our community-level grievance mechanism in the Western Region. Our formal grievance mechanism provides a communication channel for members of the community to raise concerns about our operations or submit complaints. We visit the Western Region to remind communities of the grievance mechanism, how it works, and how it can be accessed. Through continuous engagement, we empower community leaders to assist those people with grievances to navigate the system. We received and resolved four grievances in 2018 related to legacy social investment projects. To supplement our formal grievance mechanism, we have stationed a Community Liaison Officer (CLO) in a Kosmos- branded office in the Western Region. We distribute contact numbers and e-mail addresses for the CLO as well as directions to the local community office. The CLO is an important part of our approach to managing grievances, in that he solicits and responds to feedback from community members. The Kosmos CLO also works in close collaboration with the CLOs from our co-venturer Tullow, so that we are fully up to date with Tullow-led operations in the Jubilee and TEN fields. ENGAGEMENT AND LISTENING As a long-term partner in Ghana, Kosmos regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders, including local communities, suppliers, civil society, media, and academia. We communicate regularly with these stakeholders to understand their concerns about our industry and its impact on the country. We share information that improves mutual understanding of the role of the oil and gas industry. Outreach to Local Communities The area directly onshore from the Jubilee and TEN fields includes the six coastal districts of the Western Region, where we have centered much of our local community engagement. In the Western Region, our key stakeholders are the fourteen traditional councils within the six coastal districts, the Fish Processors’ Associations of Ankobra and Ekpu Communities, as well as communities we have historically supported through social investment projects. We join community meetings held by the Jubilee and TEN fields’ operator. We use these sessions to provide updates on offshore operations, environmental monitoring and compliance, canoe incursions and fishermen interactions, the Voluntary Principles on Business and Human Rights, social investments, and our environmental and social impact management plans. Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights In 2018, the Government of Ghana finalized its National Action Plan for implementation of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. Kosmos supported this process by participating as an industry representative in national dialogues to discuss key issues regarding implementation. The dialogues covered issues such as onshore and offshore risks associated with increased activities in the oil and gas sector, the status of the Ghana government’s anti- small scale illegal mining initiative, and goals related to public security training and private security licensing reform. Kosmos uses private security personnel to provide security for our employees and office operations in Ghana. Security for the Jubilee and TEN fields’ operations is the responsibility of the operator. We have trained all Kosmos Energy Ghana security personnel on the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights per our corporate policies and in support of Ghana’s work on the Voluntary Principles. In 2015, Kosmos reached a major milestone by employing a 100 percent Ghanaian staff – an achievement that we have maintained ever since.