Declaration of commerciality for the Eban-Akoma oil discoveries by Eni Ghana has ignited a political firestorm, with the Minority in Parliament accusing the Mahama-led government of unjustly ‘stealing’ credit for achievements rooted in the previous administration’s efforts.
According to the Caucus, the Eban and Akoma discoveries are direct results of the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia tenure.
The Caucus dismissed a July 4 announcement by the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, which described the discovery as a major milestone attributable to the leadership of Minister John Abdulai Jinapor and the current government’s commitment to Ghana’s upstream petroleum sector.
Addressing the media in Parliament on Monday, Deputy Ranking of the Energy Committee Collins Adomako Mensah, emphasized that both the Eban and Akoma discoveries were made under the previous Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government, and cited specific drilling activities that took place in 2019 and 2021.
He said, “Eni Ghana, following approval by the Petroleum Commission under the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration, drilled the Akoma-1X well in 2019 and announced the discovery on May 9 of that year. Similarly, the Eban-1X well was drilled in July 2021, also resulting in a significant oil find.
The previous administration, he said, not only approved the drilling and appraisal activities but also allowed a joint appraisal programme to expedite development.
According to him, as part of the NPP government’s strategic efforts to reduce development timelines and prevent resource stranding amid the energy transition, the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration granted Eni approval in July 2022 to conduct a joint appraisal of both discoveries.
He argued that Eni’s recent declaration of commerciality merely confirms the outcome of that appraisal programme, which he argued was entirely supervised and greenlit before the Mahama administration took office.
“It is therefore dishonest and disingenuous for the Ministry to project this as a new success story of the current government,” the Caucus stressed.
He challenged the government’s narrative, questioning how an administration that has barely been in office for seven months could claim credit for discoveries rooted in years of prior exploration, regulatory approvals, and policy direction.
The Deputy Ranking Member touted the NPP’s track record in the petroleum sector, and referred to discoveries made under the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration including the Pecan South East (2018) and Nyankom-1X (2019) finds.
He stressed that the NPP’s record in hydrocarbon development is unmatched—from fiscal regime reforms under the Kufuor-Aliu Mahama government to historic exploration milestones under President Akufo-Addo.
The Mahama government, he said, would do well to acknowledge this legacy, rather than distort it for political gain.