The Parliamentary Select Committee on Energy has appealed to the Ministry of Finance to release GH¢5.6 million to the Petroleum Commission to support the establishment and operation of a world-class data centre.
The Committee said the funding would strengthen the Commission’s ability to manage critical upstream petroleum data and improve the efficiency of its operations.
Chairman of the Committee, Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, said continued investment in the petroleum sector was essential to revitalising Ghana’s upstream industry and increasing oil production.
He noted that although investment and hydrocarbon production had declined in recent years, the extension of a petroleum agreement to 2030 had helped attract additional funding and contributed to an increase in crude oil production from about 80,000 barrels per day to 120,000 barrels per day.
Mr Bedzrah, however, raised concerns about repeated budget allocations for oil exploration in the Voltaian Basin.
He stressed that funds approved for exploration must yield tangible results, adding that the Committee would require clear evidence of progress before supporting further budget allocations for the programme.
The appeal was made during a working visit to the Petroleum Commission as part of the Committee’s oversight activities to assess the Commission’s operations and management procedures.
During the engagement, the Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Commission, Emeafa Hardcastle, briefed the Committee on the Commission’s mandate and working procedures.
The Commission is responsible for regulating, managing and coordinating upstream petroleum activities in Ghana.
Ms Hardcastle disclosed that since assuming office in 2025, the government had introduced measures aimed at reversing the decline in crude oil production, sustaining output and repositioning Ghana as an attractive investment destination within Africa’s increasingly competitive petroleum sector.
She also said the government had secured fresh investment commitments of about US$35 billion to help revitalise the sector.
The Committee is expected to continue its oversight exercise with engagements at the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and the Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL).
