Ghana is stepping up efforts to attract Canadian investment into its upstream oil and gas sector, positioning itself as a stable and increasingly competitive destination for global energy capital as geopolitical tensions, supply disruptions, and shifting investment priorities reshape the global energy landscape.

Ahead of the main stage event, officials of the Petroleum Commission held strategic meetings with prospective investors who are seeking opportunities within Ghana’s upstream oil and gas space, particularly the onshore Voltaian Basin. At the Commission’s booth, officials took visitors through Ghana’s current onshore and offshore basins and the upstream investment nuances they present.

At the main stage event, the CEO of the Petroleum Commission, Ms Emeafa Hardcastle, is leading discussions on how Canada and Ghana can strengthen strategic partnerships to unlock investment opportunities in the upstream sector in the interest of both countries. According to Ms Hardcastle, the recent volatility in global energy markets has reinforced the need for energy security, supply reliability and diversification, prompting investors to look beyond traditional hydrocarbon destinations.

She said Ghana was well-positioned to benefit from this shift, offering substantial hydrocarbon potential across mature and frontier basins, both offshore and onshore, while actively addressing concerns that have historically deterred investment in some African markets, including Ghana.

“Ghana offers significant hydrocarbon potential across mature, frontier, onshore and offshore basins,” she said. “We are taking practical steps to improve competitiveness and create an enabling environment for responsible investment,” she added.

She further highlighted the ties between Ghana and Canada, noting the shared common-law legal systems that provide a familiar and predictable framework for investors. She also pointed to earlier years of cooperation between the two countries, citing past partnerships that enabled Ghanaian welders to receive specialised training and certification from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), among other examples.

The country is now seeking to deepen that partnership by attracting Canadian expertise in advanced oilfield technologies, gas development and infrastructure expansion.

She noted that Ghana was looking to deploy technologies that could improve hydrocarbon recovery, increase operational efficiency, strengthen field monitoring and enhance environmental and safety performance.

At the same time, she said growing domestic demand for electricity and industrial development were creating opportunities for investment in gas infrastructure, including pipelines and processing facilities.

Ms Hardcastle further outlined a broad range of opportunities available to exploration and production companies, including farm-in arrangements, appraisal programmes and open acreage in both the prolific Tano Basin and the frontier Accra-Keta Basin.

In particular, she spoke about Ghana’s largest frontier petroleum regions. Covering approximately 40% of the country’s landmass, the Onshore Voltaian Basin has attracted growing interest following the acquisition of seismic and geological data by Ghana’s national oil company. Preliminary assessments, according to Ms Hardcastle, indicate encouraging petroleum potential and evidence of an active petroleum system.

Plans are underway to drill its first exploration well in the basin between the fourth quarter of 2026 and the first quarter of 2027, a development expected to further de-risk the area and stimulate investor interest.

“Ghana is open for business,” she said. “We warmly invite you to come on board and choose Ghana as your preferred destination for environmentally sustainable hydrocarbon investment.”

With three producing offshore fields already in play in the Western Basin, Ghana is well placed to continue its efforts to reduce geological risk across its petroleum sector to reduce uncertainty for potential investors.

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