…Amid Push for Green Energy Shift
The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) celebrated its 20th anniversary on Friday with a ceremony in Accra, highlighting two decades of oversight in the country’s downstream petroleum sector and pledging alignment with global energy transitions under President John Mahama’s administration.*
The event, themed “20 Years of Fueling Ghana’s Progress: The Journey, the Legacy and the Future,” drew past and present board chairmen, chief executives, management and staff to reflect on the authority’s role in fostering efficiency, fairness and consumer protection.
NPA Chief Executive Godwin Kudzo Tameklo, in his welcome address, credited former President John Agyekum Kufuor for establishing the agency in 2005, elevating petroleum regulation from a ministerial department. He praised pioneers like Prof. Ivan Addae-Mensah and John Attafuah for building the foundation of its successes.
Tameklo said the anniversary offered a chance to assess regulatory reforms that have stabilised the downstream market, while stressing the need to adapt to evolving global energy dynamics.
“As the energy environment changes, the NPA must promote efficiency, support national transition goals and innovate in service delivery,” he said, vowing close collaboration with Mahama’s government to maintain sector gains.
Energy and Green Transition Minister John Abdulai Jinapor, delivering the keynote, lauded the NPA’s leadership for upholding Ghana’s status as a regional benchmark in petroleum management. He called current CEO Tameklo a “young, smart, dynamic, intelligent leader” steering the sector effectively.
Jinapor spotlighted the success of petroleum price deregulation, implemented in 2015, as one of Ghana’s most transparent systems.
“Any Ghanaian can project prices using world market rates and exchange rates, the two key variables,” he said, noting the formula’s role in stabilising supply amid volatility.
He urged the NPA to innovate amid the global pivot to renewables, pointing to Ghana’s lead in electric vehicle (EV) adoption across Africa, with private charging stations proliferating. Solar panel costs have fallen 80% in recent years, driving consumer shifts to cleaner options, Jinapor added.
“The NPA is at a crossroads technology is evolving rapidly, and the authority must reposition to stay relevant,” he warned.
The minister announced government reforms, including a new NPA Act to incorporate alternative fuels, boost transparency, realign taxes and levies, and strengthen consumer safeguards.
He pledged support to enhance the agency’s systems, staff and operations as Ghana advances its energy transition.