Mahama's Govt Claiming Credit for Akufo-Addo's Oil Discoveries - Minority
Accra, Ghana - 7 July, 2025 - Ghana’s recent declaration of commercial viability for the Eban-Akoma oil and gas discoveries in the Cape Three Points Block 4 has sparked a political row, with the opposition accusing the government of wrongly claiming credit for finds made under the previous administration.
The discoveries, confirmed as commercially viable on 3 July 2025, mark a significant step in Ghana’s ambition to bolster its energy sector, but the debate over their origins threatens to overshadow the milestone.
The Eban-1X and Akoma-1X wells, located approximately 50km off Ghana’s western coast, were identified as holding substantial oil and gas reserves following a rigorous appraisal programme. The declaration of commerciality was submitted by a consortium led by Eni Ghana Exploration & Production Ltd, alongside Vitol Upstream Tano Ltd, Woodfields Upstream Ghana Ltd, and GNPC Exploration & Production Company Ltd, in collaboration with the state-owned Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).
The Ministry of Energy and Green Transition hailed the development as a boost for Ghana’s energy security and industrial growth, with Energy Minister John Abdulai Jinapor stating it underscores the country’s potential to harness offshore resources.
However, the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), led in this instance by Collins Adomako-Mensah, MP for Afigya Kwabre North and a senior member of Parliament’s Energy Committee, has challenged the narrative presented by President John Mahama’s National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.
Adomako-Mensah insists the discoveries were made in 2019 and 2021 under former President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration.
He cited formal notices issued by Eni to the Ministry of Energy, Petroleum Commission, and GNPC at the time, which were reported by Ghanaian media.
Eni’s own records confirm the Eban-1X discovery was announced in July 2021, with preliminary estimates suggesting the Eban-Akoma complex holds between 500 and 700 million barrels of oil equivalent.
“ENI, as required by the CTP Block 4 Petroleum Agreement, formerly issued two separate notices of discovery to the then Ministry of Energy, the Petroleum Commission and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation. These discoveries were also announced or published by sections of the Ghanaian media,” he said.
Adomako-Mensah argued that the current government, in office since January 2025, played no role in the drilling or appraisal process, accusing it of exploiting the announcement for political gain.
He emphasized that under Ghana’s petroleum laws, operators like Eni are responsible for reporting appraisal outcomes, not the government.
“The Minority wonders how the Mahama administration, which had nothing to do with the drilling of the Akoma and Eban exploration wells as well as approval of the appraisal programme of the two discoveries, will all of a sudden claim that the results of an Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration-approved appraisal programme that are a result of commerciality are a credit to it.”
“In Ghana’s upstream petroleum industry, it is a contract or operator that has a duty of informing the state of the outcome of any approved appraisal programme. That is what ENI did recently.”
“The Mahama administration, for self-serving purposes, has sought to covet this normal reporting to a funfair whose cause is attributable to it, even though it is barely seven months in office,” he added.
