ACCRA, Ghana — Ghana is seeking to recover $4.14 million in unpaid surface rentals from upstream petroleum companies, and the Public Interest and Accountability Committee has recommended tougher measures against operators that default, according to its 2026 semi-annual report.
The arrears comprise $2.41 million owed under existing petroleum agreements and $2.73 million linked to terminated agreements, as of June 2026.
The committee has proposed penalties and interest on outstanding payments. It also wants full settlement of arrears to become a condition for renewing, renegotiating or reassigning petroleum agreements.
Surface rentals are among the petroleum revenues paid into the Petroleum Holding Fund, held at the Bank of Ghana under the Petroleum Revenue Management Act, 2011. The other revenue sources are royalties, carried and additional participating interest, corporate income tax and additional oil entitlement. The Ghana Revenue Authority assesses, collects and accounts for these revenues.
According to the committee, the Ghana Revenue Authority estimated surface rental receipts of $755,235.23 for 2026 but had received only $556,159.23 by the end of June. Nine of the 12 contract areas assessed had made payments. The Petroleum Commission, however, reported 14 active petroleum agreements as of June 2026, so the two bodies do not capture the same contract areas.
The committee also identified discrepancies in how blocks are recorded. The East Keta block is under force majeure. No rental assessment was reported for Ghana Western Basin Block 01, which is operated by Tristar Upstream Oil and Gas. The Deepwater Cape Three Points block is listed under Planet One by the Petroleum Commission but was assessed against GOIL Upstream Limited by the Ghana Revenue Authority.
The committee urged the Ghana Revenue Authority to take stronger action against persistent defaulters. The authority is also pursuing liabilities owed by three companies whose petroleum agreements were terminated by the previous government over contractual breaches, and has extended its recovery efforts beyond Ghana through its exchange of information unit. One of those companies, Swiss African Oil Company Limited, has reportedly sent representatives to renegotiate its interest in a terminated block, with outstanding liabilities included in the talks.
Recovery efforts come as petroleum revenue has improved. Total receipts rose 52% year on year to $562.41 million in the first half of 2026, from $370.34 million a year earlier. Carried and additional participating interest contributed $215.37 million, or 38.4% of the total, corporate income tax $203.98 million, or 36.3%, and royalties $140.12 million, or 25%. Surface rentals and interest income on the fund together contributed less than 1%.
Nigeria has faced similar difficulties collecting statutory payments from upstream companies. In March 2025, the House of Representatives summoned 48 oil companies, including Shell and Oando, over about ₦9.4 trillion in outstanding obligations to the Federal Government, covering unpaid royalties, concession rentals and gas-flaring penalties.
