GNPC Hosts APPO Secretary General to Advance Africa’s Energy Cooperation Agenda
The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) on Friday, 22 May 2026, hosted H.E. Farid Ghezali, Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO), at its Research and Technology Centre (RaTC) in Accra. The visit provided a platform for high-level discussions on regional energy cooperation, strategic institutional partnerships, and Africa’s long-term energy trajectory.
GNPC was represented by its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kwame Ntow Amoah, who also serves as Chair of the APPO NOC CEOs Forum, together with Deputy Chief Executive for Finance, Commercial & Administration, Mr. Hamis Ussif; Deputy Chief Executive for Exploration & Production, Mr. Michael Aryeetey; and members of Senior Management.
Central to the agenda was the operationalisation of the African Energy Bank (AEB). Discussions encompassed progress on capital mobilisation, governance frameworks, member-state participation, and the sequencing of activities ahead of the Bank’s formal launch.
Addressing participants, APPO Secretary General H.E. Farid Ghezali emphasised the imperative of deeper continental collaboration and the development of African-led financing mechanisms to accelerate growth across the energy sector.
“Africa must continue to strengthen cooperation among member countries and build institutions that support our collective energy future. The African Energy Bank represents an important step toward creating African solutions for African energy development,” he said.
The parties also highlighted the need for greater convergence in policies, regulatory frameworks, and local content strategies across African petroleum-producing nations, measures considered essential to improving the continent’s investment climate, enhancing competitiveness, and advancing regional economic integration.
Participants also explored concrete avenues for broadening African participation across the oil and gas value chain, including through structured collaboration in training and certification, technical exchange programmes, and institutional knowledge sharing.
GNPC also presented its ongoing youth and professional development initiatives, underscoring the Corporation’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of African energy professionals and ensuring long-term industry sustainability.
Mr. Kwame Ntow Amoah reaffirmed GNPC’s dedication to partnerships that advance Africa’s energy capabilities, foster knowledge exchange, and position the continent’s institutions to assume a more prominent role in the global energy landscape.
“GNPC remains committed to collaborative initiatives that support sustainable energy development, strengthen technical capacity, and create long-term value for the continent through stronger African partnerships,” he stated.
The two sides further identified priority areas for future collaboration, spanning technical assistance, joint project development, institutional partnerships, and targeted regional capacity-building programmes.
The APPO delegation also toured GNPC’s Research and Technology Centre, visiting research, laboratory, and data management facilities. The tour provided H.E. Ghezali and his team with a firsthand view of the Corporation’s technological infrastructure, active research programmes, and data systems underpinning GNPC’s operational and strategic functions.
The engagement reinforced the enduring institutional relationship between GNPC and APPO and reaffirmed both organisations’ shared resolve to build a more integrated, resilient, and self-sufficient African energy sector, one anchored in partnership, innovation, and sustained regional cooperation.
About the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO): The African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO) is a pan-African intergovernmental organisation established in 1987 to promote cooperation, policy harmonisation, and strategic collaboration among African oil and gas-producing countries. Headquartered in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, APPO works to advance Africa’s petroleum industry through capacity building, investment promotion, research, technology development, and the adoption of industry best practices. The organisation also plays a key role in advocating for Africa’s energy security and sustainable energy transition agenda while supporting initiatives to strengthen financing and regional integration in the continent’s energy sector.