Brazilian oil giant Petrobras is moving deeper into Ghana’s offshore energy sector after receiving approval to negotiate exploration contracts for four blocks in the country’s emerging Keta Basin.

Petrobras said it submitted an expression of interest for the blocks and has begun negotiations with Ghanaian authorities. The move forms part of the company’s strategy to replenish oil and gas reserves through exploration in new frontier areas in Brazil and overseas.

According to Petrobras, Ghana’s Ministry of Energy and Green Transition approved its application to negotiate exploration contracts covering four offshore blocks in the Keta Basin.

Petrobras Looks Beyond Brazil

The Ghana push gives Petrobras another avenue to diversify its international exploration portfolio as the company searches for new resources to support long-term growth.

Petrobras, formally Petróleo Brasileiro S.A., is a majority state-owned Brazilian energy company founded in 1953 and headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. The company has built its reputation around deepwater and ultra-deepwater oil and gas production, particularly Brazil’s massive pre-salt fields.

Its operations also span refining, pipelines and fuel distribution, while the company has increased investments in lower-carbon businesses, including biofuels, sustainable aviation fuel and renewable energy.

The Ghana opportunity therefore fits into a broader exploration strategy aimed at identifying new oil and gas resources while maintaining Petrobras’ focus on offshore production.

Why Ghana’s Keta Basin Matters

Ghana has four sedimentary basins considered prospective for oil and gas: the Western Tano-Cape Three Points Basin, Central Saltpond Basin, Eastern Accra-Keta Basin and the onshore Voltaian Basin.

Keta Basin covers about 33,900 square kilometers, including offshore areas extending toward Togo, Benin and western Nigeria. Ghana’s Petroleum Commission describes it as a Cretaceous basin with complex fault structures that create potential exploration targets.

The Keta area remains less developed than Ghana’s established producing areas, including the Jubilee, TEN and Sankofa-Gye Nyame fields. The country has been seeking renewed exploration activity as it works to strengthen its upstream petroleum sector.

Ghana’s Energy Ministry has said it is promoting exploration in the Central, Eastern, Outer Continental Shelf and Voltaian basins to attract investment. For Petrobras, securing the four blocks would give the Brazilian producer a foothold in one of West Africa’s emerging offshore exploration frontiers.