Ghana’s Environmental Protection Authority finalizes comprehensive methane guidelines for oil and gas sector, establishing a cornerstone for climate action in West Africa
August 3, 2026, Accra – Ghana has taken a landmark step in translating climate ambition into enforceable action, with the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) today publishing its Technical Requirements for Inspection and Monitoring of Methane in Oil and Gas Operations, establishing one of the most comprehensive methane regulatory frameworks in West Africa.
This achievement is the culmination of a multi-year collaboration between the EPA and Clean Air Task Force (CATF), and it is the first regulatory measure developed under the Climate and Clean Air Coalition’s (CCAC) Fossil Fuel Regulatory Programme (FFRP). The guidelines provide a complete legal and technical architecture for methane management across Ghana’s oil and gas value chain and translate Ghana’s commitments under the Paris Agreement and the Global Methane Pledge into measurable, enforceable field practices.
“Ghana’s new comprehensive methane management framework for the oil and gas industry establishes a model for effective methane mitigation that can be replicated across the region. The CCAC is proud to have supported Ghana, a longstanding member of the Coalition, in incorporating techniques that offer some of the most cost-effective means of rapidly reducing the rate of global warming, and we are excited that the country continues to share its experience with others, including through the Methane Regulator-to-Regulator Network co-led by the CCAC and IEA,” said Martina Otto, Head of the CCAC Secretariat.
“Ghana has demonstrated that ambitious methane regulation is achievable for all economies, and that getting it right matters regardless of a country’s emissions profile,” said Mohammed Dahiru Aminu, Africa Policy Manager for Methane Pollution Prevention at CATF. ” The EPA’s leadership in building a framework that is technically rigorous, operationally realistic, and nationally owned is exactly the kind of progress the world needs more of. Ghana may not be the region’s largest methane emitter, but it is now one of its most important climate leaders, and we’re proud to have supported this effort.”
The guidelines sit beneath Ghana’s 2025 Environmental Protection (Petroleum) Regulations, translating their legal authority over methane emissions into detailed technical instructions for how facilities must operate. They specify how inspections, repairs, data collection, and emissions reporting will be carried out consistently across the oil and gas value chain, covering onshore and offshore facilities, gas processing plants, compressor stations, refineries, and storage terminals.
The framework reflects the value of sustained technical partnerships that combine national leadership with international support. Through the collaboration, CATF provided technical input on fugitive methane emissions, leak detection and repair, venting and flaring controls, and equipment performance standards, and organized capacity-building sessions for regulators and operators to ensure the framework is both globally informed and grounded in Ghana’s operational reality. More details on that collaboration can be found here.
The work was carried out under the FFRP, which supports governments in building the regulatory infrastructure needed to rapidly reduce methane emissions from their oil, gas, and coal sectors. Ghana’s finalized guidelines represent one of the programme’s most significant early milestones and offer a practical model for other countries across the region. With the guidelines now finalized, the EPA will turn its attention to implementation, focusing on building inspector capacity, establishing data management systems, and supporting operators as they integrate the new requirements into field practice. EPA will also participate in international knowledge exchanges with other regulators to share lessons and best practices on methane management, further building methane mitigation momentum in the region.
The final regulations and guidelines will be available on the EPA Ghana website for public access.
Hear directly from staff at Ghana’s Environmental Protection Authority on the process of developing these guidelines and their importance for Ghana and the region:
Why methane mitigation?
Methane is a short-lived but highly potent greenhouse gas, with a global warming potential more than 80 times greater than that of carbon dioxide over a twenty-year period. Cutting methane emissions from the fossil fuel sector is among the fastest and most cost-effective near-term climate strategies available.
Press Contact
Steve Reyes, Communication Manager, [email protected], +1 562-916-6463
About the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)
The UNEP-convened Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) is a partnership of over 182 governments, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations. It works to reduce powerful but short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) – methane, black carbon, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and tropospheric ozone – that drive both climate change and air pollution. It aims to connect ambitious agenda setting with targeted mitigation action within countries and sectors. Robust science and analysis underpin its efforts and bolstered by its trust fund, the CCAC has given rise to high-level political commitment, in-country support, and a range of tools that support the case for action and implementation.
About Clean Air Task Force (CATF)
Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a global nonprofit organization working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalyzing the rapid development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. With 30 years of internationally recognized expertise on climate policy and a fierce commitment to exploring all potential solutions, CATF is a pragmatic, non-ideological advocacy group with the bold ideas needed to address climate change. CATF has offices in Boston, Washington D.C., and Brussels, with staff working virtually around the world.
