The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has achieved an impressive milestone by surpassing its mid-year target for surface rental collections in the petroleum sector. This is according to the Public Interest and Accountability Committee’s (PIAC) 2025 Semi-Annual Report, which highlights renewed progress in petroleum revenue management after years of persistent arrears.
As of June 2025, the GRA had collected 863,045.81 US dollars in surface rentals, exceeding its annual projection of 755,235.23 US dollars. This strong performance contrasts sharply with the situation in previous years when unpaid and overdue surface rentals remained a recurring concern in several PIAC reports.
Surface rentals are annual fees charged to oil companies for the right to explore and operate petroleum blocks in Ghana. Delays and defaults in payment had long weakened government’s non-tax revenue inflows from the sector and raised accountability concerns.
According to the PIAC report, the improved outcome this year reflects stricter enforcement and the clearance of long-standing arrears by companies such as Goil Upstream Limited, Springfield Exploration and Production, OPCO, and Base Energy Ghana Limited. Out of thirteen active operators, eight made payments in the first half of 2025.
Data from the GRA shows that Goil Upstream Limited paid 147,400 US dollars, Springfield Exploration and Production settled 151,386.58 US dollars, and Base Energy Ghana Limited contributed 150,800 US dollars. Aker Energy and Tullow Ghana also met their full annual obligations of 201,000 US dollars and 59,261.23 US dollars respectively.
However, some companies including Medea Development, Eco Atlantic, and OPCO under the East Keta Offshore block still owe significant arrears. By the end of June 2025, total outstanding balances stood at 1.09 million US dollars, while cumulative arrears including those owed by terminated companies amounted to 1.72 million US dollars.
The report noted that despite the progress, the persistence of these arrears underscores the need for continuous monitoring and enforcement. Terminated operators such as UB Resources, Britannia-U, and Swiss African Oil Company Limited together owe over 1.7 million US dollars in unpaid surface rentals.
PIAC credited the GRA’s success to its strict application of the Petroleum Revenue Management Regulations, 2019 (L.I. 2381), which guide the recovery of petroleum-related taxes and fees. The GRA has also intensified its recovery drive through the Exchange of Information Unit, which is tracing three absconded taxpayers whose Petroleum Agreements were revoked by the Minister for Energy for contractual breaches.
The Committee commended the GRA for its renewed discipline and commitment to enforcing compliance, describing the development as a positive sign of accountability in petroleum revenue administration.
For several years, PIAC’s reports have identified surface rental arrears as one of the weakest points in Ghana’s oil revenue collection system. The 2025 performance marks a major turnaround, signaling stronger oversight, better institutional coordination, and an improved assurance of state revenue.
