Eni Ghana and Vitol Upstream Tano Ltd have signed agreements with the Government of Ghana covering two offshore blocks in the Tano Basin, advancing the oil majors’ plans to expand their upstream footprint in the country.
The companies signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering GH WB 3 and GH WB 8, with the agreements providing a pathway towards the finalisation of Petroleum Agreements for the two acreages.
Ghana’s Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, signed the MoUs on behalf of the government. Executives of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) witnessed the signing.
The two blocks cover approximately 2,100 square kilometres offshore Ghana, with water depths ranging from 750 metres to 2,800 metres.
The MoUs do not themselves constitute the final Petroleum Agreements for the blocks. Rather, they mark a further stage in the process towards concluding those agreements under Ghana’s petroleum regulatory framework.
The latest agreements follow a Memorandum of Intent signed in September 2025 between Eni, Vitol, GNPC and the Ghanaian government. That agreement was aimed at increasing oil and gas production and evaluating further development and exploration opportunities around Eni’s existing Ghana operations.
For Eni, the new acreage fits its near-field and Infrastructure-Led Exploration (ILX) strategy, which seeks to develop prospective resources by leveraging existing production infrastructure and proximity to established fields.
That strategy is particularly relevant to Eni’s position in Ghana. The Italian energy company has operated in the country since 2009 and currently reports equity production of about 40,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. It operates the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) project with a 44.4% interest, alongside Vitol with 35.6% and GNPC with 20%.
OCTP provides Eni and Vitol with an established operating base in Ghana’s offshore sector. The project includes the Sankofa and Gye Nyame fields and is supported by the John Agyekum Kufuor FPSO, making nearby exploration opportunities potentially compatible with the companies’ existing infrastructure-led development model.
The new blocks therefore extend an existing Eni-Vitol relationship in the Tano Basin, where the partners have previously pursued offshore acreage. Eni and Vitol were awarded rights to Block WB03 in Ghana’s 2019 international bid round, with Eni as operator.
The parties will now proceed towards the finalisation of the Petroleum Agreements for GH WB 3 and GH WB 8, subject to Ghana’s applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
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