Ghana’s crude oil production has continued its downward trend for the sixth consecutive year, sparking renewed concerns over the long-term sustainability of the country’s oil and gas sector and its impact on the wider economy.
According to the 2025 Annual Report released by the Public Interest and Accountability Committee, the country’s crude oil production dropped sharply from a peak of 71.4 million barrels to 37.3 million barrels in 2025.
Emmanuel Commey, Director of the Centre for Energy & Petroleum Studies, said the sustained decline reflects an average annual drop of about nine per cent and should be treated as a major concern for policymakers and industry stakeholders.
Pressure on the Oil Sector
Mr. Commey noted that crude oil revenues remain critical to Ghana’s economy, supporting investments in education, healthcare, road infrastructure and other national development projects.
He warned that the persistent fall in output could weaken government revenue flows and reduce the sector’s contribution to economic growth if urgent interventions are not implemented.
“Crude oil currently plays a critical role in the country’s economy with funds being used to invest in education, health and road infrastructure, so the consistent drop in production needs critical attention.” - Emmanuel Commey
The energy analyst also raised concerns about the performance of the TEN oil fields, which he said have consistently produced below expectations over the years.
According to him, authorities managing the sector must prioritise measures aimed at improving production from the TEN fields in order to stabilise overall national output.
“The manager of the sector needs to prioritise measures that will be aimed at improving production from the TEN field,” he added.
Investment Challenges
Mr. Commey attributed part of the production decline to reduced investment activity within Ghana’s petroleum industry since 2017.
He argued that the lack of significant investment in exploration and production activities has contributed to weakening output, job losses and the collapse of businesses linked to the oil and gas value chain.
“The oil and gas sector since 2017 has not seen any significant investment hence this current decline in production output,” he said.
He further called for urgent policy attention and renewed investor confidence to revive the industry and restore it to what he described as its “past glory.”
Industry observers say attracting fresh investment, improving field productivity and accelerating exploration activities will be essential if Ghana hopes to reverse the decline and maintain the sector’s strategic importance to the economy.
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