GNPC Outlines Investment, Exploration, and Commercial Priorities at 2026 Africa Oil Week.
The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) served as a platinum sponsor of the 2026 Africa Oil Week (AOW), held at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra, from 1st to 3rd September, where the Corporation highlighted boosting investment, exploration, and commercial capability as its priorities for Ghana's upstream petroleum sector.
As Platinum sponsor, GNPC anchored Ghana Day at the conference, using the platform to engage government, investors, and industry partners on the country's upstream investment climate and the Corporation's own growth agenda.
Opening Ghana Day, GNPC Chief Executive Officer Mr. Kwame Ntow Amoah said Ghana must continue to improve its competitiveness to attract the capital required to sustain production from existing fields, bring discovered resources into development, and advance new exploration opportunities.
“We must compete for capital through predictability, competitive project economics, timely decision-making, and partnerships in which both investors and the country derive fair value,” he said.
Mr. Ntow Amoah also highlighted ongoing frontier exploration in the Voltaian Basin as part of efforts to build Ghana's longer-term petroleum resource base. His remarks came as government outlined measures to improve Ghana's upstream investment environment and stimulate greater exploration activity.
Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Hon. John Abdulai Jinapor, said certainty and predictability remained central to attracting investment, noting that government was reviewing aspects of the fiscal and regulatory framework to strengthen Ghana's competitiveness.
GNPC Deputy Chief Executive for Exploration and Production, Mr. Michael Aryeetey, contributed to Ghana Day discussions on unlocking new investment opportunities in the upstream sector by moderating a panel featuring GNPC Explorco, the Petroleum Commission, and industry operators. He anchored the deliberations around the practical conditions needed to attract exploration capital and advance opportunities towards development, with emphasis on data access, regulatory efficiency, project economics, commercially aligned partnerships, and a more competitive investment environment.
A key development during the conference was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding involving the Government of Ghana, GNPC, Shell Overseas Holdings Limited, and Chevron Sub-Saharan Africa Ventures Ltd., relating to petroleum exploration and production rights over the South Deepwater Tano Block.
The conference also gave GNPC a platform to highlight its own commercial development. Deputy Chief Executive for Finance, Commercial, and Administration, Mr. Hamis Ussif, said the conversation around certainty for upstream investors must also recognise GNPC as an investor.
“Even as a national oil company, let us not forget that in one breath we are an investor and we require certainty as well,” he stated.
He added that GNPC's ability to access capital and plan against predictable revenues would become increasingly important as the Corporation takes on greater investment and commercial responsibility.
Managing Director of GNPC Explorco, Mr. Samuel Opoku Arthur, outlined the subsidiary's approach to building a commercially viable exploration and production portfolio through direct investment and partnerships. He remarked that Explorco is taking on commercial risk by committing equity, funding its share of work programmes, and investing alongside partners, creating greater alignment around successful project delivery.
Beyond the conference sessions, GNPC engaged investors, operators, and other industry stakeholders at its exhibition booth, showcasing opportunities across Ghana's upstream sector alongside the Corporation's operations and strategic priorities.
As platinum sponsor of the 2026 AOW, GNPC used the conference to reinforce a clear agenda: attract investment, advance exploration, strengthen commercial capability, and build the partnerships needed to translate Ghana's petroleum opportunities into production and long-term value for the country.