The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has pledged to deepen its collaboration with the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) to promote innovation, technical training and development in Ghana’s downstream petroleum sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of the NPA, Godwin Kudzo Tameklo, Esq., gave the assurance 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 Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
The meeting focused on opportunities for collaboration between the two institutions, particularly in research, skills development and the application of academic knowledge to industry practice.
Mr Tameklo stressed the importance of engaging academia in advancing the downstream petroleum industry, noting that universities could contribute innovative ideas and approaches to addressing challenges in the sector.
“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 said.
More Read
He also disclosed that the Authority would explore the possibility of offering internship opportunities to UMaT students, particularly within its technical departments, to expose them to practical industry experience.
“The Authority will also be looking at the possibility of offering some students of the University internship opportunities in some of the technical departments of the NPA, because sometimes it is good for the students to have first-hand opportunity to experience things for themselves,” he added.
Responding, Professor Amorin thanked the NPA leadership for its willingness to engage with the University and explore areas of mutual interest.
“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.
Other areas discussed included specialised training and secondment opportunities for UMaT teaching staff, the possible inclusion of the University in training programmes under the proposed NPA Centre of Excellence, and the potential retooling of a laboratory at UMaT as part of the initiative.
The discussions are expected to help identify practical ways to strengthen cooperation between academia and industry, including opportunities to equip students and teaching staff with relevant technical skills and experience.
Both institutions expressed optimism that the engagement would pave the way for a formal partnership, helping bridge the gap between academic research and the operational needs of Ghana’s downstream petroleum industry.
The NPA continues to pursue partnerships with academic institutions as part of efforts to strengthen technical capacity and support the effective regulation, oversight and monitoring of the downstream petroleum sector.
