Springfield Exploration and Production, a subsidiary of the Springfield Group – a major Ghanaian energy company, has made significant discoveries in the history of Ghana’s oil exploration. Springfield E&P made new oil discoveries offshore Ghana from its maiden Afina-1 Well drilled in the West Cape three points Block 2. The find has overtaken the Jubilee fields, becoming the biggest so far in Ghana. This discovery appears to be a successful stroke of serendipity as Springfield acquired West Cape three points Block 2 after Kosmos relinquished it without making any oil find.
The drilling process is being managed by offshore drilling firm Stena Forth drillship.
Meanwhile, the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD), including the CEO Senyo Hosi and a Director of CBOD and CEO of Sage Trading Group Emmanuel Egyei-Mensah, as well as some staff, have paid a working visit to the oil rig. They commended Springfield for this big achievement.
Senyo Hosi said the Chamber is proud of Springfield for its historical achievement for Ghana and Africa. He called for government support bereft of partisanship for this new discovery to ensure Ghana obtains the socio-economic benefits. Mr. Hosi expressed the urgent need to go beyond recognizing the achievement and effectively support the realization of the full benefits of the oil discovery.
He charged potential Ghanaian investors “start building something originally Ghanaian and look into service providing and other liftings” for Ghana to attain the full economic impact beyond oil revenues.
Other stakeholder bodies including the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers-Ghana have welcomed the historic oil discovery by Springfield. Its Executive Secretary Duncan Amoah said he is optimistic that the failure of retention of benefits and failure for gains to trickle down as experienced in past exploration would be avoided going forward this time.
He added, “this time the exploration and production is being led by a wholly-owned Ghanaian company charting a new path”.
The founder of the Springfield Group Kevin Okyere earlier said in a statement, “It is an achievement not to ourselves alone as Springfield, but to all our partners, contractors, the government and people of Ghana and Africa as a continent.”
Springfield becomes the first independent Ghanaian and African energy company to drill in deepwater and discover significant quantities of oil, as the exploration space is dominated by more experienced foreign-owned companies.
SEP partnered the Ghana National Petroleum Company to operate the block with 84% and 16% interests respectively.