ENABLIS ENTREPRENEURIAL NETWORK GHANA vs. TULLOW GHANA LIMITED [2021]DLCA10837

Date	2021-05-20
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO H1/185/2020
Citation No.	[2021]DLCA10837

DENNIS ADJEI JA (PRESIDING)

P. BRIGHT MENSAH JA

OBENG-MANU JNR JA

ISAAC ANKAH WITH MOSES BAAFI ACHEAMPONG FOR DEFENDANT/APPELLANT

DR. ABDALLAH-ALI NAKYEA WITH BENEDICT ASARE

KWABENA ADUSEI AND WISDOM ANKRAH FOR PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT

[2021]DLCA10837
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >ENABLIS ENTREPRENEURIAL
NETWORK GHANA&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>TULLOW GHANA LIMITED<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">CIVIL
APPEAL NO H1/185/2020&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;DATE: 27TH MAY, 2021<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL<o:p></o:p>ISAAC
ANKAH WITH MOSES BAAFI ACHEAMPONG FOR <o:p></o:p>DEFENDANT/APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

DR.
ABDALLAH-ALI NAKYEA WITH BENEDICT ASARE, KWABENA ADUSEI AND WISDOM ANKRAH FOR
PLAINTIFF/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>DENNIS
ADJEI JA (PRESIDING), P. BRIGHT MENSAH JA, OBENG-MANU JNR JA<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">RULING
ON APPEAL<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;OBENG-MANU, JNR, J.A<o:p></o:p>INTRODUCTION<o:p></o:p>The High Court sitting at Accra on 5th
March, 2019, dismissed an application at the instance of the
Defendant/Appellant herein to non-suit the Plaintiff/Respondent for want of
capacity. Being aggrieved and dissatisfied with the decision of the High Court,
the Defendant/Appellant filed an appeal against the ruling on 26th
March, 2019. <o:p></o:p>For purposes of this ruling, the
Plaintiff/Respondent shall simply be referred to as the Respondent while the
Defendant/Appellant shall also be referred to as the Appellant.<o:p></o:p>Facts<o:p></o:p>The Respondent is a private company
registered under the laws of Ghana. It is limited by guarantee. The Respondent
in paragraph 1 of its statement of claim described itself as company limited by
guarantee and incorporated under the laws of Ghana to provide, inter alia,
entrepreneurs with the necessary skills, training, funding, and
networking opportunities and supporting the development and growth of small and
medium enterprises in the emerging markets. This is admitted by the Defendant
in paragraph 5 of its statement of defence and counterclaim.<o:p></o:p>The Appellant is a private limited
company registered in Jersey under company number 91503 and whose main office
in Ghana is at No 71 George Bush Highway (Motorway Extension), North Dzorwulu,
Accra. It is also registered under the laws of Ghana, and engaged in the
exploration and production of oil and gas. It is limited by shares. <o:p></o:p>Following the discovery of oil in
commercial quantities in 2007 in the Jubilee Field, the Government of Ghana
decided to establish an Enterprise Development Centre (“EDC”) in Takoradi to
provide support to SMEs to enable them position themselves to take advantage of
business opportunities in the oil and gas sector. The Appellant, Kosmos Energy
Ghana HC, Anardarko WCTP Petroleum Company and Sabre Oil and Gas Limited (the
“Jubilee Partners”) agreed to support the government in this venture. On 1st
November, 2012, the Government of Ghana and the Jubilee Partners, signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which set out the roles and responsibilities
of the parties for the establishment and management of the EDC. The parties to
the MoU established a joint Project Steering Committee (“PSC”) which was
responsible for providing strategic direction and governance to the EDC
project. The Appellant and its Jubilee Partners agreed to fund a third-party
agency (the “Contractor”) to establish and manage the EDC for an initial period
of five (5) years. The Appellant on behalf of the Jubilee Partners committed
Five Million United States Dollars (US$ 5,000,000) for a five-year period
towards the provision of Enterprise Development Centre (the “EDC”) services in
Takoradi.<o:p></o:p>In furtherance of its commitments under
the MoU with the Government of Ghana, the Appellant engaged the services of the
Respondent to provide EDC services in Takoradi by contract dated 24th
December, 2012. The contract was for a term of two (2) years. This was after a
competitive bidding process. Under the CONTRACT, the Appellant;<o:p></o:p>