The government is seeking the views of relevant stakeholders in the Civil Society space as part of efforts to review the country’s policy and legislative framework governing the upstream petroleum sector.
It would be recalled that The High Street Journal, in August this year, reported on how Ghana’s upstream petroleum sector is set for a major overhaul after the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition inaugurated a Legislative Review Committee.
The committee, co-chaired by the former Minister of Power, Dr. Kwabena Donkor, was tasked to review the current Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act, 2016, and associated regulations.
The government justifies that there is a need for urgent reforms in the regulatory framework and policies to make them fit-for-purpose, address the new industry realities, and maximize the benefits for Ghanaians.
Among other things, the review is expected to strengthen Ghana’s competitiveness, attract sustainable investment, and align petroleum operations with the country’s national development goals, including the energy transition agenda.
Sources then told The High Street Journal that the review will encompass areas such as gaps in licensing, fiscal arrangements, local content participation, and environmental oversight, and the sector’s ability to fully deliver economic value.
Four months after massive work, the committee is meeting with members of the Civil Society to get their inputs to inform its recommendations and report.
A letter cited by The High Street Journal is inviting the Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas to a stakeholder engagement meeting. According to the letter, the meeting is scheduled for today, Thursday, 18 December, 2025.
“Your institution has been identified as a critical stakeholder in the process, and your insights will be invaluable in shaping the Committee’s work. In this regard, we respectfully invite your good self and at most two relevant subject matter experts of your team to a meeting on December 18, 2025,” portions of the letter read.
Specific areas the meeting is expected to deliberate include the upstream petroleum licensing and contracting regime and procedure, upstream petroleum fiscal framework, onshore activities and policy, regulatory oversight and institutional alignment, local content and participation, among others.
This legislative review could reform how the country manages its petroleum wealth in the face of global energy transition pressures and increasing demand for accountability. Stakeholders have long argued that the sector needs robust reforms.
Without making the overhaul, Ghana risks losing investment competitiveness, undermining revenue collection, and missing out on deeper local participation.
