The milestone event brought together Ghana’s leadership, including the Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, Mr Julius Debrah, the Chief of Staff, Mr John Abdulai Jinapor, Minister for Energy and Green Transition, and Senior Presidential Advisors, alongside executives from ExxonMobil, the African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO), and representatives from the global oil and gas industry.

In his keynote address, Mr Kwame Ntow Amoah, the CEO of GNPC, welcomed guests and reflected on GNPC’s transformative journey.

“Forty years ago, GNPC was established with a bold vision: to ensure Ghana’s sovereignty over its petroleum resources and position our nation as a capable player in the global energy space. What began as a small team with ambitious dreams has grown into a corporation at the centre of Ghana’s economic and industrial development,” he said.

Mr Amoah highlighted GNPC’s resilience in overcoming financial, technical, and policy challenges whilst making landmark contributions through the Jubilee, TEN, and Sankofa Gye Nyame discoveries, which brought Ghana into commercial oil production over the past 15 years.

He recalled GNPC’s pioneering spirit, noting the corporation’s historic horizontal well drilling in the 1990s, the first of its kind in Africa.

Acknowledging the legacy of GNPC’s workforce and partners, he added: “Our journey has been shaped by the brilliance and dedication of remarkable engineers, geoscientists, lawyers, economists, administrators, and policymakers. I salute our past and current heads of state, ministers, chairmen, CEOs, and boards for believing in Ghana’s energy story and laying the foundation for our future.”

Looking ahead, Mr Amoah emphasised GNPC’s readiness to lead in an era defined by energy transition, digitalisation, and sustainability: “Energy transition is no longer a choice but an imperative.”

Through President John Dramani Mahama’s Reset and Growth Agenda, GNPC is taking bold steps to utilise new technologies, deepen operating capabilities, and leverage innovative financing to deliver enhanced exploration and production.

The evening also underscored GNPC’s ambitious vision for the next decade. “As we unveil GNPC at 40, let this moment mark the opening of a new chapter where the legacy of the past four decades inspires our ambition to venture into uncharted territories. In this year of GNPC at 40, we aim to achieve beyond the Reset and Growth Agenda to become a leading oil and gas company by GNPC at 50,” the CEO affirmed.

The launch sets the tone for a year-long programme of activities commemorating GNPC’s four-decade journey, celebrating achievements, honouring legacy, and charting an ambitious path forward.