Business News of Wednesday, 8 April 2026

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Explorco fails to account for over $561 million in petroleum revenue – Report

Explorco is a subsidiary of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) Explorco is a subsidiary of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC)

The Public Interest and Accountability Committee has raised serious concerns over missing petroleum revenue, revealing that Explorco, a subsidiary of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, failed to account for US$561,648,785.37 owed to the Republic of Ghana between 2022 and 2024.

According to the Committee’s 2025 Annual Report, GNPC and Explorco must immediately account for the outstanding revenue and deposit the funds into the Petroleum Holding Fund (PHF) to safeguard Ghana’s petroleum earnings.

“Explorco, a subsidiary of GNPC, has failed to account for petroleum revenue due the Republic of Ghana to the tune of US$561,648,785.37 between 2022 and 2024, after numerous calls by PIAC for the revenues to be accounted for and deposited into the Petroleum Fund,” the report stated.

Crude oil production in Ghana declines sharply – PIAC report

“GNPC and its subsidiary, Explorco, should account for petroleum revenue amounting to US$561,648,785.37 due government and deposit same into the PHF,” the committee advised.

The report also highlighted a sharp decline in GNPC’s receipts in 2025, which fell by 61.55 percent compared to 2024.

The reduction followed an approved cut in GNPC’s share of net CAPI from 30 percent to 15 percent, part of expenditure rationalisation measures instituted by the Minister for Finance and approved by Parliament in the 2025 Budget Statement and Economic Policy.

“GNPC’s receipts in 2025 declined by 61.55 percent compared to 2024 in line with the approved reduction in GNPC’s share of net CAPI from 30 percent to 15 percent,” the report noted.

The report further observed that no receipts were recorded from the TEN oil field in 2025, despite a lifting in October worth US$60,790,572.24 by the Ghana Group, which will be paid in 2026.

PIAC also noted that GNPC did not disburse funds to cover TEN equity financing costs, resulting in a US$30.75 million cash call obligation.

“This increases GNPC’s cash call debt stock and leads to a potential reduction of revenue available for Partners for reinvestment in the Field,” the report warned.

The PIAC report underscores ongoing transparency challenges in Ghana’s petroleum sector, particularly in accounting for revenues that are critical to government finances and reinvestment in oil field operations.

MA