President John Dramani Mahama's nomination of Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Member of Parliament for Ellembelle Constituency, as Minister for Lands and Natural Resources is expected to significantly expand local content opportunities within Ghana’s extractive industry.

Mr Buah brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in creating sustainable and decent opportunities for local participation in the extractive sector. As former Energy Minister, he earned a strong reputation as a local content champion by facilitating opportunities for local companies to engage in Ghana’s oil and gas industry.

His efforts ensured economic growth and reliable cash flow for local content providers, as well as provided many Ghanaians with stable and sustainable employment.

In recognition of his efforts, Mr Buah was awarded the Local Content Champion Award in 2015. By 2014, his initiatives had led to the generation of approximately $580 million through the implementation of the local content policy.

His work resulted in over 150 companies registering with the Petroleum Commission, many of which provided direct and indirect services to operators in Ghana's upstream industry. Furthermore, under his leadership, more than 80% of jobs in the upstream petroleum sector were filled by Ghanaians.

Mr Buah played a pivotal role in the establishment of key legislation such as the Petroleum Revenue Management Act, Act 815, and the Petroleum Local Content and Local Participation Regulations, 2013 (L.I. 2204), as well as the creation of the Petroleum Commission. These policies have become the foundation of Ghana's petroleum industry.

In 2021, he was honoured at the Ghana Ministers of State Excellence Honours for his outstanding contributions as former Minister of Energy and Petroleum. Additionally, he played a key role in the passage of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act and the development of major oil fields such as Jubilee, TEN, and Sankofa, which have become significant sources of government revenue.

As Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Buah is expected to continue his work in prioritising the interests of the people of Ghana, fostering local content opportunities, and ensuring the sustainable growth of the extractive industry for the benefit of both investors and the Government of Ghana.