Africa Energy

The issue of electricity generation is once again creeping towards the top of the government’s agenda. With plans for rapid economic and industrial growth fuelled by hydrocarbons production, the burden on the country’s grid is likely to increase substantially over the coming years. As such, the moves toward privatisation which occurred in response...

Although large-scale mining still dominates the industry in Ghana, smaller players are taking an increasing share of the market. While much of this artisanal mining is occurring in the formal sector, illegal mining, which threatens the environment, the health of local communities and the operations of large-scale players, is still a challenge for...

Among the most important challenges for the government are the development of natural gas infrastructure and the stewardship of the resource. Indeed, the associated gas in the Jubilee Field is considered a more important find for the development of the country over the coming decade than the oil itself. Kofi-Agyeman Boakye, executive director of...

Despite its long and distinguished history, Ghana’s mining sector encountered a number of difficulties in the post-independence era and began to thrive only once liberalisation policies were passed in the mid-1980s. The Minerals and Mining Law of 1986 set the tone for renewed private investment, with generous terms set out for capital allowance and...

Though home to a diverse set of minerals, it has been the soaring price for gold amidst a weak global economy that has brought about significant increases in production, investment, exploration and revenues. However, minerals such as manganese, bauxite and diamonds are also being explored and excavated, and the country could once again rejoin the...

For many, offshore hydrocarbon exploration constitutes perhaps the final frontier in the oil and gas sector. Offshore drilling targets oil and natural gas deposits trapped beneath the ocean floor – or in some cases beneath inland lakes and seas – which are accessed through wellbores in the seabed. It is the most complex and expensive way of...