By Ashiadey Dotse
As part of Ghana’s efforts to improve energy efficiency and protect the environment by using cleaner fuel sources, President John Dramani Mahama has announced that Ghana plans to stop using crude oil to produce electricity in the next few years.
This change will be made possible by building a second gas processing plant to increase the country’s supply of natural gas.
Speaking at the 2025 Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan, President Mahama explained that the current gas plant at Atuabo is not enough to process all the gas Ghana can produce. “We are going to build a second gas train to handle more gas from our first field,” he said.
Crude oil is expensive and prices change often, making it hard for Ghana’s power sector to manage. The president believes that switching to natural gas will reduce the cost of running power plants and help pay off debts owed to independent power producers.
Mahama also mentioned that the Italian oil company ENI has restarted drilling in Ghana, and early results show the possibility of finding large amounts of oil and gas. If this continues, he said Ghana could stop using crude oil for power completely within three to five years.
He invited investors to support the development of Ghana’s oil and gas industry, saying the country is now in a good economic position to grow. “I will lay a red carpet for anyone who wants to drill and pump in Ghana,” the President added.
