The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) is Ghana’s National Oil Company (NOC), established in 1983 by PNDC Law 64, to support the government's objective of providing adequate and reliable supply of petroleum products and reducing the country's dependence on crude oil imports, through the development of the country’s own petroleum resources.

The Petroleum [Exploration and Production] Law, 1984, PNDC Law 84, was subsequently enacted to provide the regulatory framework for the exploitation of the country’s hydrocarbon resources. PNDC Law 84, establishes the contractual relationship among the state, GNPC and prospective investors in upstream petroleum operations. This law also grants GNPC the right of entry into any open acreage to undertake exploration activities.