The award by The Oil and Gas Year (TOGY), the prestigious oil & gas journal, recognised the importance of the 2018 acquisition of the Harlequin Group by a group of local entrepreneurs. The acquisition made the Harlequin Group, an already prominent player in the upstream service sector, eligible for certification by the Petroleum Commission (PC) as a fully indigenous Ghanaian company in 2019.

Mr. Kofi Oduro Mensah, Co-CEO for Joint Venture (JV) and Strategic Alliances, Harlequin Oil and Gas Limited, said “We are highly appreciative that a global industry journal has recognized what we are doing at Harlequin to further develop Ghana’s fledgling upstream oil & gas space. We dedicate this award and associated recognition to each and every one of our hardworking employees who relentlessly pursue the highest level of perfection in our day-to-day operations.”

In an interview that was published in the special “Ghana 2020” edition of TOGY, Mr. Mensah noted the general drive towards indigenization within the Ghanaian oil and gas sector, and commended the Petroleum Commission for creating an environment in which indigenous businesses are able to gain a strong foothold in the industry and encouraged local businesses to continuously develop local expertise.

Mr. Mensah recalled the introduction of the local content law, LI 2204, in 2013 during which services such as catering and general manpower supply chain were reserved for fully indigenous companies, saying this trend is now evolving with local companies beginning to offer technical services to International oil and service companies alike.

Mr. Mensah also hopes to see the minimum participation percentage requirements for local participation in joint ventures increased to 20% in the amendment to the Local Content Regulation LI 2204, slated to be introduced this year. “With a higher equity stake, indigenous companies could ensure that these JVs are adding value to the country, as opposed to only existing as JVs on paper”, he said.

On Harlequins offerings and what services they can offer within the upstream sector, Mr. Hesse-Tetteh said, “Our major services and flagship projects are the turnkey fabrication of subsea equipment, including suction piles, manifolds, steel bend restrictors, holdback anchors and mud mats.”

Mr. Hesse-Tetteh was optimistic about the future of Harlequin and said in the next decade the company plans to develop its 50-acre facility into an oil services hub providing a host of engineering services to the upstream oil and gas value chain and that plans are in place to increase the company’s overall footprints in the West African sub region.

“We hope to make a positive impact on the industry by providing outstanding quality services and by continuously evolving our service offering to meet client demands. In a decade, we want to have proven that local African industry players have what it takes to get the job done too”, the Co-CEO said.