- Commits to secure growth and viability of body
Petroleum House, Tema, 28th January, 2020: The Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Dr. Kofi Koduah Sarpong, has been appointed inaugural chairman of the Advisory Board of the New Producers Group (NPG).
The Advisory Board, whose activities are coordinated by the Chatham House, the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) and the Commonwealth Secretariat, is to advise the Group�s Secretariat on matters that directly concern the Group�s initiatives and further its mission, reach and impact.

Maiden Address
Speaking at the maiden meeting of the Advisory Board during the NPG annual meeting hosted by Uganda in November 2019, Dr. Sarpong expressed his commitment to work to secure the growth and long-term viability of the Group.
At the Uganda meeting, board members agreed that new procedures and resources were needed to match the Group�s ambitions, while continued efforts towards building trust and insulating the NPG from commercial interests or politics remained essential. They also wished to see the Group clarify its mission, governance structure and procedures to support its growth and sustainability.
Different visions for the NPG�s future were reviewed, including the possibility of the Group becoming an inter-governmental organisation. Noting that the strength of the Group lies in its ability to be a platform for informal sharing of knowledge, members agreed that an interim step would be to formalize the organisation as an independent legal entity.
A position paper outlining a vision for the NPG�s evolution is expected to be submitted for the next board meeting in February 2020.

Attendees
Other members of the Advisory Board at the meeting were: the acting Director of the Directorate of Petroleum, Uganda, Mr. Honey Malinga, the Board Chairman of the Lebanese Petroleum Administration, Lebanon, Mr. Walid Nasr, Commercial Advisor � Commonwealth Secretariat, Ms. Naadira Ogeer, an Advisor at NRGI, Mr. Patrick Heller and � Project Lead and Co-founder of NPG, Dr. Valerie Marcel.

Composition
The NPG is made of 35 countries from Africa, Caribbean and South America, Middle East, Eurasia, Europe and Asia Pacific and is a network of emerging petroleum producers, which provides contexts appropriate advice, capacity building and forums for exchange of ideas.