Upstream service provider, Halliburton Ghana Operations Limited has committed an estimated US$15 million in advanced petroleum engineering software, training and academic support under a new partnership with Ghana’s Petroleum Commission and KNUST; aimed at strengthening local capacity and developing the country’s next generation of upstream professionals.
The agreement will see Halliburton donating industry-leading petroleum engineering software to the Department of Petroleum Engineering at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), while also providing training support for students and faculty members, and academic research.
This MoU lays the foundation for Halliburton to provide technical support through the donation of landmark software, training programme for students and faculty members, and support for academic research at KNUST, at a cost of US$15.1 million.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ag. Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Ms. Emeafa Hardcastle, described the partnership as a strategic investment in Ghana’s future petroleum workforce.
“The Commission is pleased to collaborate with Halliburton on local content initiatives aimed at strengthening capacity development and maximising value creation in Ghana’s upstream petroleum sector, particularly in human resource development,” she said.
“The software donation, training programmes and research support is expected to provide students and lecturers with access to technologies used across the global petroleum industry,” she noted.
For Halliburton, the partnership forms part of its wider commitment to developing local expertise across Africa.
Mr. Antoine Berel, Halliburton’s Vice President for Sub-Saharan Africa, said investing in Ghanaian talent was essential to building a resilient and competitive energy sector.
According to Mr. Berrel, the company’s support goes beyond technology.
“We believe sustainable value creation comes from empowering local institutions with the tools, knowledge and practical experience they need. This collaboration reflects Halliburton’s long-standing commitment to develop local content,” he stated.
The agreement establishes a structured framework for knowledge exchange and long-term cooperation between the Commission and Halliburton. It builds on an existing relationship between the two organisations — the first MoU signed in 2019 focused on supporting the capacity development of the Petroleum Commission’s engineering and geoscience staff.
The new partnership expands that collaboration to Ghana’s tertiary institutions, creating a pipeline of highly skilled professionals for the upstream industry. The Petroleum Commission has increasingly positioned capacity building as a central pillar of Ghana’s local content agenda, encouraging international oil and gas companies to invest not only in infrastructure but also in the development of Ghanaian expertise.
With the latest partnership, the Commission is reinforcing that strategy by connecting global industry leaders with Ghana’s universities, ensuring that future petroleum engineers graduate with hands-on experience using internationally recognised technologies while strengthening research and innovation within the country’s higher education institutions.
Other officials present at the signing ceremony were Mr. Craig Beebee, Snr. Bus. Dev Manager, Sub Sahara Africa North at Halliburton, Ms. Paulina Effisah, Halliburton’s Government Relations & Local Content Manager, and some members of Executive Management at the Petroleum Commission.
