Natural resource and local communities: evidence from Ghana’s offshore oil and gas

Working paper

In 2007, Kosmos Energy and Tullow Oil found Ghana’s most significant column of high-grade offshore oil and gas. In this paper, I use geocoded household data to examine the socio-economic effects of this oil and gas discovery on the local communities. I conduct two quasi-experimental analysis and find that oil and gas discovery increased real income for households close to the fields, with the benefits being larger for households in districts with a high proportion of skilled workers and limited to non-poor districts. However, there is no apparent effect on employment, total consumption expenditure and poverty.

Authors: Agyapong, P

• Publication status: Published
• Publisher: University of Oxford
• Series: CSAE Working Paper Series
• Publication date: 2026-03-18
• Paper number: WPS/2026-02
• Language: English
• Keywords: spatial difference-in-differences; Ghana; local economic impacts; household welfare; natural resources; oil and gas