Energy Sector of Ghana: Searching for sustainable future

In a meeting dubbed “The Ghana Energy evening” which took place in the Crystal Palace suite at the London Hilton hotel, were a collection of key UK business executives with Ghanaian roots. The executives present included High Commissioner to the UK and Ireland, H.E. Papa Owusu-Ankomah and Tullow Plc Chief Executive, Rahul Dhir, as well as other Tullow Executives such as Director of People and Sustainability, Julia Ross, Ghana Managing Director Wissam Al-Monthiry, his deputy, Cynthia Lumor and External Affairs Manager, David Amoah.

This was the second time such a meeting is taking place in the last three (3) years. This forum was formed by H.E. Papa Owusu-Ankomah and the Tullow Executives in order to collaborate and exchange views about Ghana’s energy future, how to make it sustainable and maintain investments for the next ten years with important Ghanaian Key players. 

The first edition which was held in 2022 was purposely based on climate change, energy transition and ways to guarantee the world has access to cheap, safe and accessible energy. The discussion was mainly focused on developing countries like Ghana, that is, how to utilize their natural resources for the well-being of their members.

In this meeting, however, the main concern was the energy sector in the world, especially Africa. This included ways to ensure a just energy transition for African countries, amidst talk of the phase-down of fossil fuels, the need to promote the right investments in developing countries like Ghana, the commitment to clean energy by 2030 and empowering local resources to transform the sector. The main speakers were the Director at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, Dr. Bassam Fattouh and Yaw Nsarkoh, former Unilever Executive Vice President.

Dr. Fattouh touched on the need for a just transition of energy in Sub-Saharan Africa which will help them at a good pace towards the development of their hydrocarbon reserves to promote industrialization and energy access. He then acknowledged how the energy mix has expanded by means of advocacy in terms of renewable clean energy while emphasizing on the importance of oil and gas in the energy mix in the world until 2050. Yaw Nsarkoh also talk about African leadership and governance problem, emphasizing on the need to change our mindset on political and economic leadership to ensure a just transition and progress for the energy sector. He also gave several mitigation measures and benefits on tackling climate change and the decarbonization agenda.

The CEO of Tullow, Rahul Dhir, expressed confidence in the company’s position to lead in the African energy industry and emphasized the need for stronger collaboration between host governments and the industry to address current challenges. Dhir highlighted the importance of a natural alignment to ensure timely development of the nation’s resources.

Overall, the Ghana Energy Evening, a collaborative effort between the Ghana High Commission and Tullow, aims to bring key players together annually to support Ghana’s energy agenda and aligns with Tullow’s vision of building a better future for the country through strategic partnerships and investments.