Alexander Nagelhout, managing director of Well Engineering Partners (WEP), and Blaise Kudatugu, CEO of Lubrimax Ghana, talk to The Energy Year about the Voltaian Basin’s hydrocarbons potential and the capabilities needed for Ghana to emerge as a leading frontier oil and gas market.
Well Engineering Partners is a Dutch provider of well and drilling engineering, integrated project management, supervision and consultancy services. LubriMax Ghana is a distributor of oil, chemicals and lubricants.
- Ghana’s Voltaian Basin could become a major frontier play, with 2D seismic data indicating significant hydrocarbons potential and drilling targeted for the end of 2026.
- The development will require strong co-ordination among government, financiers, logistics providers and local suppliers, given the scale of equipment transport and infrastructure planning required to unlock the basin’s resources.
- Local capability-building will be central to Ghana’s upstream expansion, with knowledge transfer, field experience and local content participation needed to turn exploration activity into long-term economic value.
What is your assessment of the potential of the Voltaian Basin?
Blaise KUDATUGU: The Voltaian Basin has been known for decades and has undergone various studies over the years. The previous Ghanaian government completed a 2D acquisition campaign in 2021, and the data show very strong indicators of significant hydrocarbon potential.
The basin stretches across multiple regions of Ghana, including Volta, Northern and Savannah, making it a truly national project that can generate substantial long-term economic benefits for the country. There is tremendous excitement around the project, both internationally and locally. Some experts even believe this could become one of the largest onshore discoveries in the region.
We have carried out several site visits and conducted technical and logistical assessments, and we are waiting for data interpretation results to identify the optimal drilling locations. Together with WEP, we are focused on ensuring that this exploration campaign is executed to the highest possible technical and operational standards. Our objective is to begin drilling by the end of 2026.
Are you seeing adequate collaboration between public and private stakeholders in the project?
BK: I have worked in several countries during my career, and I must say I have rarely seen this level of enthusiasm and support across an entire industry ecosystem. Government institutions, financial institutions, logistics companies and private-sector players are all looking for ways to contribute.
Financial institutions, for example, are already engaging with us to understand how they can support local subcontractors and suppliers to meet Ghana’s local content requirements.
Exploration is capital-intensive and also a major logistical undertaking. Heavy equipment will need to be transported from ports to remote locations across Ghana, which will require co-ordinated planning among utilities, transportation companies and multiple institutions.
Stakeholders want to ensure Ghanaian companies can participate meaningfully, and so far, the collaboration has been extremely positive in all aspects. Ultimately, everything will depend on having the right teams, careful planning and good communication.
How important is local capability-building?
BK: Local capability development is absolutely central to this project. Regulations require companies operating in the oil and gas sector to ensure knowledge transfer by pairing international experts with Ghanaian counterparts. At the same time, we have brought in skilled Ghanaian professionals who were working abroad, specifically to participate in this project. Ghana already has well-prepared engineers, but they need field experience. In oil and gas, exposure to operational realities is just as important as academic knowledge.
The project will also create opportunities far beyond engineering. Local economies will have opportunities to secure contracts for catering, logistics, transportation, procurement and security services. We are committed to ensuring that local communities receive meaningful benefits through direct employment and broader economic participation.
What transferable capabilities can WEP bring to the Voltaian Basin?
Alexander NAGELHOUT: From the beginning, the objective has been to combine the strengths of all project partners to create value across the entire chain. WEP contributes deep expertise in well engineering, drilling management, project execution and operational systems. We have been operating internationally for almost 30 years, and many of our team members have previously worked with major operators and global service companies.
We are a very hands-on engineering organisation. One of our key strengths is that we continuously incorporate lessons learned in projects. We bring robust procedures, technical manuals, drilling programmes, engineering systems and operational processes that can be integrated directly into client organisations.
Our collaboration with LubriMax is especially valuable because it combines local operational and logistics capabilities, robust ICT systems and regulatory knowledge with our engineering and project management expertise. Together with the client, GNPC Explorco, we have created a transparent and structured execution model focused on long-term success.
A range of future scenarios must be considered during design phases. Every technical decision, from drilling methods and logging technologies to data acquisition systems, must be evaluated carefully.
Exploration drilling always involves uncertainty, so robust well design and multidisciplinary collaboration are essential. Our combined geological and engineering team works together to convert subsurface uncertainty into a technically sound drilling programme.
Will you incorporate carbon storage or explore geothermal options in your drilling programme?
AN: The current focus of this project is very clearly hydrocarbons. However, any country developing its upstream industry should also begin thinking about integrating long-term sustainable energy sources.
Geothermal energy can take many forms, whether direct heat applications or electricity generation from deeper systems. If geothermal resources can eventually be unlocked, they could help support long-term energy security while also freeing hydrocarbons for export.
These are important future-oriented considerations that fit naturally into broader government energy strategies, although for now the immediate priority remains the current exploration campaign. The knowledge, systems and engineering discipline developed through upstream work can also support wider energy-transition opportunities over time.
Do you expect this project to lead to other opportunities for WEP and LubriMax in the region?
AN: Absolutely. We are a service company, and our objective is to combine the strengths of our different disciplines to support projects across the region and beyond.
BK: The Voltaian Basin is not the only area where we are collaborating. We are already studying opportunities in Côte d’Ivoire, Namibia, Senegal and other emerging African markets. We are positioning ourselves to support frontier energy developments across the continent through a combination of international expertise and strong local partnerships.