Eni's Eban-Akoma Set to Add 70,000 Barrels per Day to Ghana's Oil Output by 2027

In a defining moment for Ghana's upstream petroleum sector, Italian energy giant Eni and its joint venture partners have officially submitted the Declaration of Commerciality (DoC) for the Eban and Akoma discoveries in the Cape Three Points (CTP) Block 4, offshore Ghana — an announcement with sweeping implications for the country’s energy security and Eni’s African growth strategy.

- Gilbert Da Costa Editor-in-Chief

The discoveries, which were first made public in July 2021, are now poised for full-scale development, with first oil targeted as early as 2027. Once onstream, the Eban-Akoma complex is expected to deliver between 50,000 and 70,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) - a transformative volume that could increase Ghana's national oil production by over 30%.

From Discovery to Commerciality: A Strategic Arc

The journey began in July 2021, when Eni announced a significant oil find at the Eban-1X well, drilled approximately 50 kilometers offshore and just 8 kilometers northwest of the producing Sankofa Hub. The well, drilled in 545 meters of water to a total depth of 4,179 meters, confirmed an 80-meter light oil column in thick Cenomanian-age sandstone, sharing geological similarities with the nearby Sankofa and Akoma fields.

Advanced subsurface evaluation including 3D seismic interpretation, pressure tests, formation sampling, and intelligent well logging indicated a production potential of 5,000 bopd per well, aligning closely with output from existing Sankofa producers.

At the time, Eni placed estimated hydrocarbons in place for the Eban-Akoma complex at between 500 and 700 million barrels of oil equivalent (Mboe), raising the cumulative reserves in the wider area (including Sankofa) to over 1.1 billion boe.

The latest commercial declaration confirms those volumes and enables a fast-tracked development timeline underpinned by existing infrastructure - a strategic win for both Ghana and Eni.

Fast-Track Development: Leveraging the Sankofa FPSO

One of the project’s most decisive enablers is the plan to tie the Eban-Akoma development into the existing John Agyekum Kufuor FPSO, which currently services the Sankofa field. This infrastructure-led exploration strategy, pioneered by Eni, allows for low-risk, capital-efficient production ramp-up and an extended plateau for the FPSO.