Ghana and Uganda are strengthening cooperation in the upstream petroleum sector as regulators from both countries share practical lessons on petroleum governance, regulation, and operations.
Ghana’s Petroleum Commission hosted the Board of Directors of Uganda’s Petroleum Authority for a peer-learning engagement focused on exchanging experience and strengthening regulatory capacity in the upstream sector.
Opening the meeting, Petroleum Commission CEO Emeafa Hardcastle said the engagement would allow both institutions to share lessons from their respective petroleum sectors and improve how they regulate and manage oil and gas resources.
She said Ghana was ready to share lessons from its transition from exploration and development to commercial oil production. These lessons cover the legal and regulatory framework, expenditure oversight, health and safety, environmental standards, investment, and local content.
Hardcastle also highlighted local content as an important part of Ghana’s petroleum policy, with the country seeking to increase the participation of local businesses and citizens in the oil and gas industry.
Petroleum Commission Board Chairman Ernest Thompson said African petroleum regulators need to learn from one another as the sector faces increasingly complex regulatory and operational challenges.
He commended Uganda’s progress in developing its upstream sector and noted that Ghana has also followed Uganda’s experience in areas such as onshore resource management, community engagement, and environmental protection.
Thompson expressed hope that the discussions would lead to a more formal knowledge-sharing arrangement between Ghana and Uganda’s petroleum regulators.
Speaking for the Ugandan delegation, Petroleum Authority of Uganda Board member Prof. Vincent Bagire said Uganda came to Ghana to learn from its experience while also sharing lessons from Uganda’s own petroleum development.
He said Ghana’s experience would be particularly useful as Uganda prepares for first oil and moves from petroleum development into production.
The Petroleum Commission presented the Ugandan delegation with technical sessions covering Ghana’s petroleum laws and regulations, upstream operations, institutional arrangements, local content, and health, safety, and environmental management.
The presentations also led to discussions on the practical challenges regulators face when overseeing upstream petroleum activities and the approaches both countries use to address them.
The two regulators discussed ways to attract investment, manage petroleum resources efficiently, maintain strong environmental and safety standards, and respond to changes in the global energy sector.
Ghana’s growing interest in onshore petroleum opportunities, including the Voltaian Basin, could also benefit from Uganda’s experience in onshore oil and gas development.
The engagement ended with both sides agreeing to strengthen cooperation and continue sharing technical knowledge as Ghana and Uganda work to develop their petroleum resources and increase their contribution to national development.
Source: www.myjoyonline.com
African Energy Council