Hot Source
The Overlord of Dagbon, Yaa Naa Mahama Abukari II, has expressed strong confidence that GNPC Explorco will strike oil in commercial quantities as it begins its next phase of exploration activities in the Voltaian Basin.
The Voltaian Basin encompasses approximately 460 communities across 13 metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies (MMDAs), with ten located in the Northern Region and three in the Savanna Region.
President John Dramani Mahama, announced last week at the Africa Oil Week in Accra that GNPC and Explorco are edging closer to drilling two exploration wells by the end of the third quarter of 2026.
According to Yaa Naa Mahama Abukari II, the attempt to uncover hydrocarbons in commercial quantities in Northern Ghana “will be a reality” and could be a “game changer”, particularly for people in the North.
“You come to us at a time when Ghana’s energy future is being shaped, and the possibility that our northern lands might contribute to the nation’s petroleum resources is both exciting and significant,” he stated.
The Dagbon Overlord added: “For generations, our region has been blessed with agricultural abundance, rich cultural heritage, and the prospect that we might also be blessed with oil reserves underground adds a new chapter to our story of resource endowment.”
Addressing the board and management of Explorco during a courtesy call at the Gbewaa Palace in Yendi, the Yaa Naa, pledged his full support for the company’s next phase of exploration, just as he had done during its earlier activities.
“Today, as you prepare to embark on more extensive drilling activities to assess the viability of oil wells in our region, you have our continued blessings and full support,” he said.
The visit was also to introduce the Explorco board and management to the King and to inform him that the company is now leading exploration activities on the Voltaian Basin Project.
As a wholly owned subsidiary of GNPC, Explorco operates with growing technical capacity, fiscal discipline and a vision to advance Ghana’s upstream petroleum ambitions by leveraging exploration and production expertise.
The delegation, led by Board Chairman Dr Aaron Issa Anafure, confirmed President Mahama’s announcement of two exploratory wells by the third quarter of 2026, assuring the King that the company is determined to deliver.
“This is a new Explorco, and we want to assure you that our second coming is to reset Explorco, and it will not be like before. This is a very serious mission,” Dr Anafure asserted.
On behalf of the board, management and staff, he pledged to do “everything possible” to achieve Explorco’s mandate to lead exploration and production in the Voltaian Basin.
He emphasised that strong partnership with the Yaa Naa and the people of the Northern Region would be crucial to achieving success.
“The face-lift in terms of development the Northern Region will witness is the reason all hands must be on deck under a peaceful atmosphere and offer the needed support to Explorco to make history,” Dr Anafure said.
He further noted that once oil is discovered, rural-urban migration from Northern Ghana would be curtailed due to the employment opportunities created.
“This is a new Explorco and, Your Majesty, we really mean business,” he added.
The delegation also included the Managing Director of Explorco, Samuel Opoku Arthur; board members, Benjamin Narteh Ayiku and Madam Stella Bondzie; Deputy Managing Director (Technical) Iddris Abukari Abdul-Mumin; and other senior management staff.
The post Dagbon Overlord backs Explorco’s oil drilling in Voltaian Basin appeared first on The Herald ghana.
