Ghana’s Petroleum Commission has entered into a new agreement with Norwegian energy data and intelligence company TGS to develop an advanced seismic dataset for the offshore Keta Basin, in a move aimed at strengthening geological understanding and supporting future hydrocarbon exploration along the country’s eastern offshore margin.
The agreement will see the creation of a “2D cubed” seismic product, an integrated three dimensional interpretation generated from extensive two dimensional seismic data and existing three dimensional datasets. The project is intended to provide exploration companies with a more comprehensive subsurface image of the Keta Basin, which remains one of West Africa’s least explored offshore petroleum provinces.
According to TGS, the first phase of the Gulf of Guinea 2D cubed initiative will incorporate approximately 5,500 square kilometres of existing three dimensional seismic data alongside more than 14,700 kilometres of two dimensional seismic surveys acquired over several decades. These datasets will be integrated into a single seismic cube covering approximately 25,300 square kilometres across both the continental shelf and deepwater sections of the basin.
The initiative reflects Ghana’s continued efforts to improve the quality and accessibility of geological information available to prospective investors while reducing exploration uncertainty through the application of modern geoscience technologies.
The Keta Basin has long attracted interest due to its geological relationship with other hydrocarbon bearing basins along the Gulf of Guinea. Although exploration activity has historically been more concentrated in Ghana’s Western Basin, where major offshore discoveries such as the Jubilee Field transformed the country’s petroleum industry, industry specialists have identified the Keta Basin as an area with significant remaining exploration potential that has yet to be fully assessed.
By consolidating historical seismic information into a modern interpretive dataset, the project is expected to support more informed technical evaluations and assist companies in identifying prospective exploration targets before committing to higher cost exploration activities.
David Hajosky, Executive Vice President for Multi Client Operations at TGS, said the project is intended to provide the industry with a clearer geological framework that can accelerate prospect evaluation and improve exploration confidence across the basin.
For Ghana, the agreement aligns with broader objectives of maintaining a competitive upstream petroleum sector while encouraging responsible resource development. The Petroleum Commission has continued to work with international and domestic stakeholders to enhance the country’s petroleum data management systems, recognising that high quality subsurface information remains a key factor in attracting exploration investment.
The project also reflects wider trends across Africa, where several petroleum producing and frontier jurisdictions are investing in updated geological datasets and digital resource management to improve the competitiveness of licensing rounds and strengthen long term energy planning.
As African countries pursue balanced energy strategies that support economic development alongside evolving global energy transitions, improved geological knowledge is increasingly viewed as an important foundation for informed policy decisions, responsible resource management and investment certainty.
Further information about Ghana’s upstream petroleum sector is available from the Ghana Petroleum Commission, while details on seismic technologies and the project can be found through TGS.
