Ghana and Uganda are deepening cooperation in the upstream petroleum sector as regulators from both countries exchange practical lessons on petroleum governance, regulation and operations.

The Petroleum Commission hosted the Board of Directors of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) for a high-level peer-learning engagement aimed at sharing experiences and strengthening regulatory capacity.

Opening the engagement, Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Commission, Emeafa Hardcastle, said the meeting provides an opportunity for both institutions to learn from each other's experiences and improve petroleum governance.

“This is not simply a routine bilateral engagement. It is an opportunity for two African petroleum regulators to share what has worked, confront the challenges we have encountered and learn from each other as we seek to ensure that our petroleum resources deliver lasting value to our people.”

She added that Ghana was ready to share lessons from its transition from petroleum exploration and development to commercial production, particularly in areas including the legal and regulatory framework, expenditure oversight, health and safety, environmental standards, investment facilitation and local content development.

She stressed that local content remains a key component of Ghana's petroleum governance strategy, aimed at ensuring that citizens and local businesses benefit meaningfully from the industry.

“We want Ghanaians to be active participants in the petroleum industry, not spectators,” she said.

Board Chairman of the Petroleum Commission, Ernest Thompson, said peer learning among African petroleum regulators was critical as the sector faces increasingly complex challenges.

“As African regulators, we must learn from one another. By sharing our experiences and lessons, we can strengthen our institutions and ensure that petroleum resources are managed responsibly for the benefit of our people.”

He also commended Uganda for its progress as the country advances major upstream petroleum projects, noting that Ghana has followed its experience in areas including onshore resource management, community engagement and environmental safeguards.

He expressed hope that the engagement would eventually lead to a more formal knowledge-sharing arrangement between the two institutions.

Speaking on behalf of the Ugandan delegation, Prof. Vincent Bagire, a member of the Board of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, said the delegation was in Ghana to learn from the country's experience while sharing lessons from Uganda's own petroleum development.

“We have come to Ghana to learn, to share and to build a relationship that goes beyond this meeting. As Uganda moves towards first oil, the lessons from countries that have already gone through the exploration, development and production phases are extremely valuable to us.”

The Petroleum Commission took the Ugandan delegation through technical presentations covering Ghana's petroleum legal and regulatory framework, policy, institutional arrangements, upstream operations, local content development, and health, safety and environmental management.

The presentations were followed by interactive discussions on practical challenges and approaches to regulating upstream petroleum activities.

The two sides also discussed the need to attract investment, manage petroleum resources efficiently, maintain strong environmental and safety standards and respond to changes in the global energy landscape amid the ongoing energy transition.

With Ghana increasingly exploring onshore opportunities, including the Voltaian Basin, Uganda's experience in onshore petroleum development could provide useful lessons for Ghana.

The engagement ended with a shared commitment to deepen cooperation and sustain knowledge exchange as both countries seek to ensure their petroleum resources contribute meaningfully to national development.