Interview with Joe Mensah, Senior Vice President, Head of Ghana Business Unit, Kosmos Energy

TG: The government has emphasized gas as a transition fuel, with the Petroleum Commission promoting Ghana’s gas infrastructure as a regional hub. How is Kosmos Energy positioning itself to support Ghana’s gas industrialization agenda, particularly in power generation and downstream industries?

JM : Domestic gas supply for power generation commenced from Kosmos’ joint venture Jubilee Field in November 2014, and by the end of 2024 over 300 billion cubic feet will have been supplied for power generation. Two hundred billion cubic feet of this supply was provided at no cost to Ghana, enabling the State to gain direct economic benefits of over $1 billion to cushion its capital expenditure on infrastructure for downstream gas utilization, including the Ghana National Gas Processing Plant at Atuabo in Western Ghana. Kosmos and its joint venture partners have committed to supplying more gas from the Jubilee Field at a discounted price, and the partners continue to explore opportunities to monetize the non-associated gas resources of the TEN Field to further address Ghana’s energy security needs.

TG: With Ghana’s oil and gas institutional framework gaining clarity and investor confidence, evidenced by long‑term licence extensions and fiscal reforms under the new administration, what message does this send to global investors about Ghana’s readiness and reliability as an energy investment destination?

JM: Ghana has always been considered one of the best places in Africa to invest due to its stable political climate and business environment. However, some government policies, while well-intentioned, ended up discouraging investment and slowing the growth of the upstream petroleum industry. The new government has made it a priority to resolve disputes with existing industry players and is actively working on regulatory reforms to encourage more investment. This has boosted investor confidence, encouraging us to sign the recent MOU and commit to further investments, while also generating renewed interest in Ghana from several major international oil companies.

TG: Local content and capacity building remain critical in Ghana’s energy sector. How is Kosmos Energy collaborating with Ghanaian businesses and institutions to ensure the continued growth of the sector and interest from foreign investors?

JM: Developing local talent and enhancing the ability of indigenous Ghanaian companies to be major suppliers of goods and services for our operations is very important to Kosmos. We are currently raining some GNPC personnel at our Houston and Dallas offices in support of GNPC’s vision of becoming an operator of deepwater oil and gas projects. We will continue to support the development of GNPC and Petroleum Commission personnel as we implement our new MOU with the government. Our shared goal is to create a pipeline of indigenous Ghanaian professional talent for the long-term management of the upstream industry. The Kosmos Innovation Center is our flagship local capacity-building program, and its reach extends far beyond the petroleum industry. Ghana has always had agriculture as the backbone of its economy, but the sector has become less attractive, especially to the youth. Our goal with the Kosmos Innovation Center has been to introduce innovation to the sector, make agriculture attractive again, and enhance Ghana’s food security.

Kosmos Energy invested heavily in capacity building, market research, seed funding, and small business incubation during the Kosmos Innovation Center’s first five years of operation. The program was so successful that it attracted the attention of the Mastercard Foundation, which decided to invest $16 million over four years to enable the program to expand across all 16 regions of Ghana. The Kosmos Innovation Center is now training more young people than ever before, and each year it is helping more small businesses grow and flourish. The impact of the Kosmos Innovation Center has been huge. We have provided seed funding to more than 80 start-ups, which have created about 48,000 direct jobs. In addition, the Kosmos Innovation Center has helped around 450 small businesses develop and grow, with these businesses going on to serve the needs of more than 195,000 smallholder farmers. Finally, the Kosmos Innovation Center has trained about 700 junior and senior high school students through the School Farm Competition.

Beyond the Kosmos Innovation Center, Kosmos Energy has also funded medical donations, ICT centers, school buildings, health clinics, and community water projects over the years.