The Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Mr. Godwin Kudzo Tameklo, has reaffirmed the Authority’s commitment to collaborating with academia, particularly the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), to drive innovation and growth in Ghana’s downstream petroleum sector.
Mr. Tameklo made the remarks when a delegation from UMaT, led by the Dean of the School of Petroleum Studies, Professor Richard Amorin, paid a courtesy call on him on October 20, 2026, to discuss areas of collaboration between the two institutions.
According to the NPA CEO, academic institutions play a critical role in shaping the future of the petroleum industry through research, innovation and the development of skilled human resources.
“We would want to continue the engagement with academia because we strongly believe that it will propel the downstream industry, because what academia does is to come up with innovative ways of doing things,” he stated.
Mr. Tameklo also disclosed that the Authority is considering creating internship opportunities for UMaT students within its technical departments to provide practical industry exposure.
He noted that such opportunities would allow students to gain first-hand experience and bridge the gap between academic training and professional practice.
The discussions also explored potential avenues for staff development, including special training and secondment opportunities for teaching personnel, as well as UMaT’s possible participation in the proposed NPA Centre of Excellence.
Additionally, the parties discussed the possibility of retooling a laboratory at UMaT as part of the Centre of Excellence initiative to support petroleum-related research and training.
Professor Amorin expressed appreciation to the NPA for its willingness to engage with academia and pursue meaningful collaboration.
“We want to say thank you for having us and for having the openness to collaborate with us. We will relay this information to the Vice Chancellor, and hopefully we can firm up some of the discussions we have had going forward,” he said.
Both institutions expressed optimism that the engagement would lead to a formal partnership capable of strengthening links between academic research and industry practice while supporting the development of Ghana’s petroleum sector.
The NPA reiterated its commitment to building strategic partnerships with academic institutions as part of its mandate to regulate, oversee and monitor the downstream petroleum industry.