Minister of Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, has heaped praise on Springfield Exploration and Production Limited, describing the company as a “trailblazer” that has demonstrated exceptional courage, commitment and technical competence in Ghana’s upstream petroleum industry.
The Minister said Springfield’s bold venture into the challenging Afina-Sankofa zone reflects the growing capability of indigenous companies and signals a new era of local participation in a sector historically dominated by foreign giants.
Speaking in Accra after announcing the commencement of negotiations between the government and Springfield over the future of the Afina block at West Cape Three Points, Mr. Jinapor said he remains committed to supporting Ghanaian companies that have shown initiative, but he will do so “within the confines of law, fairness and national interest.”
“Springfield is an indigenous Ghanaian company and so, as Minister, whatever I can do legitimately, fairly, within fair conscience to support a Ghanaian company, I’ll do it—and I have no regrets for that,” he said.
“However, I won’t break the law. I’ll always put Ghana’s interest first,” he said in an interview on Joyfm.
Jinapor stressed that ongoing discussions will hinge on an independent technical and commercial valuation of the Afina discovery.
“If the field proves to have the potential, we will engage Springfield and give them whatever support is required. If it does not meet the criteria, forget about it—simple as that.”
He added that government will not undermine Ghanaian businesses that have invested heavily and shown strong operational capability.
“When an indigenous company has spent money, drilled and conducted appraisals showing potential, I will not terminate that agreement. We must encourage Ghanaian companies to venture into this space. But everything must be based on fair, transparent evaluation.”
The Minister said his broader goal is to promote value for money, strengthen local capacity, and ensure that partnerships such as GNPC’s collaboration with Springfield advance both commercial and national interests.
A breakthrough that few thought possible
When Springfield first expressed interest in the relinquished West Cape Three Points Block 2 (WCTP2) in 2012, the idea that a newly formed Ghanaian company could successfully compete in upstream petroleum was viewed with skepticism.
The sector is notorious for its towering barriers to entry. Drilling a single deepwater well can cost between US$50 million and US$100 million, while seismic surveys, appraisal campaigns and field development can run into hundreds of millions of dollars.
Yet Springfield’s founder, Kevin Okyere—then only 32 years old—was determined to enter the industry and prove that Ghanaian-owned companies could do more than provide support services.
His persistence paid off after a rigorous multi-year evaluation process that culminated in parliamentary ratification of Springfield’s Petroleum Agreement in 2016.
Ghana has four upstream operators: Tullow Ghana, Eni Ghana, Aker/Pecan Energies, and Springfield.
Among them, Springfield stands alone as the only indigenous operator.
This is not merely symbolic; it represents a historic shift in the structure of Ghana’s oil industry.
The US$9.3m seismic gamble
One of Springfield’s most consequential decisions came in 2017 when it contracted the Ramform Titan—the world’s largest seismic vessel—to conduct a comprehensive 3D seismic survey across the entire 673 square kilometres of WCTP2.
This was not a requirement under the initial work programme.
Instead, it was a voluntary, high-stakes investment costing US$9.317 million, paid for entirely by Springfield.
The seismic results were transformative. They provided the detailed subsurface imaging necessary to justify drilling the Afina-1x well, which would later emerge as one of the most significant hydrocarbon discoveries in Ghana since the Jubilee and Sankofa fields.
The Afina Discovery: A billion-barrel turning point
The drilling of Afina-1x marked a watershed moment in Ghana’s upstream history.
The well encountered hydrocarbons in commercial quantities, with over 1.5 billion barrels of oil in place and an estimated 1.2 trillion cubic feet of gas.
The discovery was contained within the highly complex Cenomanian and Turonian formations—deepwater geological zones that no indigenous African company had previously conquered.
Projected output from the Afina accumulation and adjoining structures indicated potential peak production of 80,000 barrels of oil per day and 250 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.
For a first-time Ghanaian operator, the scale of the discovery was unprecedented.
Perhaps even more striking was Springfield’s operational performance.
The drilling campaign was completed on time, within budget, and without a single safety incident.
Independent assessments from petroleum consultants in the United States and United Kingdom later verified the reserves, confirming Springfield’s technical competency.
Legal battles and determined progress
While Springfield celebrated its breakthrough, a legal dispute with Italian major ENI over reservoir connectivity between ENI’s Sankofa field and Springfield’s Afina discovery slowed progress.
Despite the litigation, the Petroleum Commission instructed Springfield to proceed with its appraisal work.
Within three months, Kevin Okyere mobilised financing, service companies and technical partners to complete the appraisal programme.
The results reaffirmed the commercial nature of the discovery and confirmed communication between Afina and Sankofa, strengthening the case for unitization.
A US$280m indigenous investment
Behind Springfield’s achievements lies a massive financial commitment.
More than US$280 million has been invested in seismic acquisition, drilling, appraisal, operations and regulatory compliance.
This capital was raised by Okyere and his partners—not foreign oil corporations.
The project created hundreds of jobs and channelled millions of dollars into local and international service providers, showing what Ghanaian-led investment can achieve in a sector often perceived as impenetrable.
Springfield has shattered long-held assumptions about the limits of indigenous capacity.
Its journey demonstrates that Ghanaian entrepreneurs can develop billion-dollar assets, execute complex deepwater operations, and meet global health, safety and environmental standards.
A National asset that must be protected
Springfield’s emergence as a globally competent, wholly Ghanaian upstream operator has also carried a psychological impact.
It has become a symbol of what is possible when local ambition, technical discipline and bold investment come together.
The company’s success now serves as a template for other sectors—mining, agribusiness, aviation, digital technology, manufacturing and green energy—where Ghana is seeking indigenous champions.
As the government enters negotiations over Afina, analysts say Springfield represents a national asset that must be treated with strategic foresight.
The Minister echoed this view, noting that Ghana must support indigenous companies that have demonstrated results, but must do so transparently and without compromising national interest.
Springfield has rewritten what is possible
Under the leadership of Kevin Okyere, Springfield Exploration and Production Limited has achieved milestones once thought impossible for a Ghanaian company.
Its seismic investments, deepwater drilling success and commercial discovery have elevated Ghana’s profile and redefined what indigenous participation can look like in the petroleum sector.
As the Minister noted, this moment is not just about Springfield’s corporate achievement but Ghana’s national progress.
The ongoing discussions between government and Springfield, he said, are an opportunity to strengthen—not replace—indigenous ownership in the industry.
Springfield’s Afina discovery stands as a testament to the power of vision, discipline and daring.
It is now up to Ghana—government, regulators and citizens—to ensure that this momentum is protected and expanded, so that the next generation of Ghanaian entrepreneurs can push even further into spaces once thought unreachable.
