Africa Oil Week 2025 : President Mahama Calls for African Ownership of Resources as Ghana Positions Itself as Regional Energy Hub
In a powerful keynote address at Africa Oil Week 2025 on Tuesday 16th September, Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama delivered a clarion call for continental energy transformation, challenging Africa to take control of its vast hydrocarbon resources while addressing the continent’s persistent energy poverty.
Speaking to energy leaders from across the globe gathered in Accra, President Mahama declared: “Africa must take ownership of its resources and its destiny.” His address outlined an ambitious vision that positions Ghana at the forefront of Africa’s energy revolution.
The Energy Paradox:
President Mahama highlighted the stark contradiction facing the continent, stating: “More than 600 million Africans still lack access to electricity. Another 1 billion have no access to clean cooking systems.” This reality persists despite Africa holding nearly 10% of the world’s proven oil reserves and significant natural gas deposits.
“This is a gap we must urgently close if we are to achieve the African Union agenda, 2063 and the UN SDGs before 2030,” the President emphasized, underscoring the critical timeline for addressing Africa’s energy challenges.
Ghana’s Strategic Investment Drive:
The President extended a direct invitation to global investors, declaring: “We invite investors to partner with Ghana. We’re determined to create an enabling environment where your capital, your expertise and your innovation will thrive while delivering jobs and shared prosperity.”
Ghana’s commitment to creating an investor-friendly climate has already yielded results. “When I took office in January, we immediately signalled to the investment community that Ghana’s upstream sector is open once again for business,” President Mahama noted, highlighting renewed interest in the country’s offshore basins.
The President revealed that “three super majors are various stages of commercial negotiation with the Ghana negotiations team and GNPC,” signaling strong confidence in Ghana’s investment climate.
Transforming into a Regional Hub:
Central to Ghana’s strategy is its ambition to become West Africa’s energy epicentre. “Ghana’s mission is to transform into a regional petroleum hub, and our primary focus is to ensure that we anchor our energy reliability and security through a gas to power policy,” President Mahama announced.
This transformation includes significant infrastructure investments. The government is “implementing an accelerated plan for developing its gas infrastructure, this includes investment in pipelines, new processing plants and storage systems to guarantee sustainable evacuation of gas from our production fields to the market.”
Balancing Development with Climate Action:
Demonstrating Ghana’s commitment to sustainable development, President Mahama emphasized: “We’re equally conscious that the future of energy lies in a balanced transition. Ghana is committed to pursuing oil and gas development alongside renewable energy investments, ensuring that no citizen is left behind in the global shift towards cleaner energy technologies.”
