GNPC marks 40 years with pledge to lead energy transition and deepen innovation
The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has launched its 40th anniversary celebrations with a call to build on its legacy of innovation and resilience while preparing to lead in an era shaped by energy transition, sustainability and digitalisation.
The milestone celebration, held on September 15, 2025, at the Villa Dome of the Presidency, brought together senior government officials including the Vice-President, Chief of Staff, Minister for Energy and Green Transition and presidential advisors, as well as executives from ExxonMobil, the African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO) and other global industry stakeholders.
Chief Executive Officer Kwame Ntow Amoah reflected on GNPC’s four-decade journey, recalling its founding vision to secure Ghana’s sovereignty over petroleum resources and establish the nation as a credible player in global energy. “Forty years ago, GNPC was established with a bold vision: to ensure Ghana’s sovereignty over its petroleum resources and position our nation as a capable player in the global energy space. What began as a small team with ambitious dreams has grown into a corporation at the centre of Ghana’s economic and industrial development,” he said.
He highlighted the corporation’s landmark contributions through the Jubilee, TEN and Sankofa Gye Nyame discoveries that propelled Ghana into commercial oil production over the past 15 years. He also cited GNPC’s pioneering horizontal well drilling in the 1990s—the first of its kind in Africa—as an example of the corporation’s trailblazing role.
Acknowledging the dedication of GNPC staff and partners over the years, Mr Amoah paid tribute to “the brilliance and dedication of remarkable engineers, geoscientists, lawyers, economists, administrators, and policymakers,” and saluted the past and current heads of state, ministers and boards “for believing in Ghana’s energy story and laying the foundation for our future.”
Turning to the future, Mr Amoah said GNPC was poised to play a central role in President John Dramani Mahama’s Reset and Growth Agenda, with a focus on new technologies, deeper operating capacity and innovative financing models. “Energy transition is no longer a choice but an imperative,” he stressed, adding that the corporation intends to position itself as a leading oil and gas company within the next decade.
“As we unveil GNPC at 40, let this moment mark the opening of a new chapter where the legacy of the past four decades inspires our ambition to venture into uncharted territories. In this year of GNPC at 40, we aim to achieve beyond the Reset and Growth Agenda to become a leading oil and gas company by GNPC at 50,” he declared.
The launch sets the tone for a year-long programme of events to honour the corporation’s legacy, celebrate its achievements and chart a bold course for its next phase of growth.