Ghana and Uganda are exploring ways of strengthening cooperation to build the upstream petroleum sectors of their respective countries.

To achieve that objective, regulators from the two countries have started exchanging practical lessons on upstream petroleum governance, regulation and operations.

Subsequently, a high-level delegation from the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) paid a working visit to Ghana’s Petroleum Commission last week to bolster the collaboration and also share experiences to strengthen regulatory capacity.

The Petroleum Commission took the Ugandan delegation through a series of technical presentations, covering Ghana’s legal and regulatory framework, policy underpinnings, institutional arrangements, upstream petroleum operations, local content development, and health, safety and environmental management, among other areas.

The presentations were followed by an interactive session, allowing members of both delegations to ask questions, challenge approaches and exchange practical experiences on the regulation of upstream petroleum activities.

Both sides also recognised the wider pressures facing the petroleum industry, including the need to attract investment, manage resources efficiently, maintain strong environmental and safety standards and respond to changes in the global energy landscape, especially within the context of energy transition.

Ghana’s readiness

The Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Commission, Emeafa Hardcastle, explained that “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”.

Ms Hardcastle said Ghana was prepared to share the successes and challenges it had encountered since moving from petroleum exploration and development into commercial production.

She highlighted the country’s upstream petroleum sector, which was anchored on a robust legal and regulatory framework, policy, expenditure oversight, health, safety and environmental standards, investment facilitation and local content development, as key areas of experience.

The CEO added that local content remained central to Ghana's approach to petroleum governance, with the aim of ensuring that citizens and local businesses derived meaningful benefits from the industry.

The Board Chairman of the Petroleum Commission, Ernest Thompson, also said that the engagement was important, especially so when African petroleum regulators were confronted with increasingly complex challenges in the upstream sector.

“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 said.

Mr Thompson commended PAU for its major upstream projects, saying that Ghana had followed Uganda's experience with special interest.

Particularly, he said Ghana was impressed with the work Uganda had done in onshore resource management, community engagement and environmental safeguards.

Significance

On behalf of the Ugandan delegation, a member of the PAU Board, Prof. Vincent Bagire, said: “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,” he added.

Prof. Bagire also said that the engagement was not about comparing institutions but about identifying practical approaches that could improve regulatory effectiveness in both countries.

As Ghana increasingly looks towards onshore exploration, including the Voltaian Basin, Uganda's experience in onshore petroleum development offers relevant lessons.