Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has blamed Ghana’s 35% decline in petroleum production on government corruption.

He argued that this corruption has driven away significant investors, such as ExxonMobil, to neighbouring countries like Ivory Coast.

According to Mr Mahama, the current state of the sector reflects a loss of investor confidence due to unethical practices within the government.

During a meeting with the Western Regional House of Chiefs in Sekondi as part of his three-day tour of the region, Mr Mahama alleged that some government officials are demanding exorbitant fees from petroleum investors in exchange for oil blocks.

The former President stressed that these demands have damaged the credibility of Ghana’s petroleum sector and discouraged potential investors from engaging with the country.

Mr Mahama contrasted the present situation with the achievements recorded during his administration, stating that the industry was thriving under his leadership.

He emphasised that corruption has eroded the progress made under his government and lamented the negative impact it has had on Ghana’s reputation as a destination for petroleum investment.

The former president highlighted the efforts his government made to attract foreign investment into the sector, pointing to a more favourable business environment during his tenure.

He criticised the current administration for failing to maintain the momentum and allowing corruption to hinder the country’s potential.

Mahama assured the chiefs that a future NDC government has a well-structured plan to rebuild investor confidence and revitalise Ghana's petroleum industry.

He pledged that his administration would focus on transparency and integrity to restore the trust of international investors, aiming to bring stability and growth back to the sector.

“There is a lot of work hard that will be required by the new government. I will not deceive you that it will be easy to revive the country. It will demand a lot of hard work to revive it. I believe that NDC has the people to do that work."

“We have decided to talk to the oil companies to come back and work with us. There is something called climate change and they have started manufacturing electric vehicles for people to withdraw from investing in oil. So this is the time to put your oil on fast sales, else it will get to a time where no one will purchase oil from you, so we have to be fast about it so that we can benefit from it," he promised.