The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Gas Company (Ghana Gas), Judith Adjoba Blay, has called for stronger strategic partnerships, joint ventures and collaborations among indigenous companies to enhance local content and strengthen Ghana’s petroleum industry.
She said the next phase of Ghana’s local content agenda must move beyond participation percentages to focus on building the technical capacity, competitiveness and sustainability of indigenous businesses to enable them to undertake more complex assignments.
Speaking at the Petroleum Commission’s 2026 Local Content Conference and Exhibition in Takoradi on Wednesday, November 10, 2026, Miss Blay said Ghana had made significant progress in promoting indigenous participation in the petroleum sector but needed to deepen those gains through deliberate reforms and partnerships.
The conference, which also marks the 15th anniversary of the Petroleum Commission, is being held under the theme: “Enriching Local Content for Sustainable Growth: Building a Resilient Upstream Sector Through Reform and Partnership to Spur Competitiveness and Investment.”
Miss Blay described the occasion as a homecoming, recalling her eight years of professional service at the Petroleum Commission and her involvement in planning and executing previous editions of the Local Content Conference.
She congratulated the Commission’s leadership, particularly its Chief Executive Officer, Emeafa Hardcastle, for securing the participation of the President of the Republic in the conference for the first time.
Reflecting on Ghana’s local content journey, she said the country had progressed from creating opportunities for Ghanaian participation to prioritising capacity development, competitiveness, sustainability and value creation.
She noted that Ghana’s local content framework had become a reference point for other emerging petroleum-producing countries, including Uganda, Namibia and Liberia, which had drawn lessons from the country’s regulatory and policy experience.
According to her, the achievement demonstrates the progress made in advancing indigenous participation but stressed the need to equip local companies with the technical expertise and resources to compete for higher-value opportunities.
Miss Blay said Ghana Gas had adopted indigenous participation as a central component of its operational philosophy, resulting in the development of a fully Ghanaian workforce responsible for operating and maintaining its gas processing, distribution and transmission infrastructure.
She said the achievement was particularly significant given the technical complexity and specialised expertise required to manage critical national energy infrastructure.
The CEO explained that Ghana Gas plays a strategic role in the country’s energy security, supplying gas that contributes to approximately 83 per cent of thermal power generation and supporting the production of about 30 per cent of domestic LPG consumption, alongside industrial development.
She said the experience demonstrated that Ghanaians could successfully manage and operate strategic national assets when supported by deliberate investments in* human capital, knowledge transfer and capacity development.
However, she said the company was seeking to deepen its local content agenda by extending more opportunities to businesses and individuals within its operational catchment areas and host communities.
Miss Blay said achieving this ambition would require the expansion of Ghana Gas’ infrastructure and operational capacity to meet increasing demand for natural gas while creating additional opportunities for indigenous businesses and professionals.
She identified the planned addition of a third train compressor to enhance gas processing capacity and the proposed construction of approximately 278 kilometres of pipeline from Takoradi to Tema as key strategic initiatives.
According to her, the investments would strengthen the resilience of Ghana’s gas infrastructure, improve the capacity to meet growing energy demand and support industrial development.
She added that the projects would also create significant opportunities for local contractors, service providers, professionals and other indigenous businesses to participate in the country’s energy value chain.
Addressing the need for stronger collaboration within the petroleum industry, Miss Blay said the increasing technical complexity of opportunities required indigenous companies to pool their expertise, resources and capabilities.
She encouraged local businesses to embrace strategic partnerships, joint ventures and collaborations to position themselves to undertake larger and more sophisticated projects.
She stressed that Ghana’s ambition should be to develop indigenous companies capable of competing not only within the domestic market but also across Africa and the global petroleum industry.
As the Petroleum Commission marks its 15th anniversary, Miss Blay urged stakeholders to acknowledge the progress made while remaining ambitious about the future of local content development.
She reaffirmed Ghana Gas’ commitment to continued collaboration with the Petroleum Commission and other industry stakeholders to strengthen indigenous participation and promote sustainable growth in the petroleum sector.
Miss Blay expressed optimism that the conference would produce meaningful deliberations and concrete actions to advance local content, improve competitiveness and attract investment into Ghana’s petroleum industry.
She also congratulated the Petroleum Commission on its 15 years of service to the industry and wished stakeholders fruitful deliberations.
By Ebenezer Atiemo
