Tullow Oil names new head of Ghana operations

ACCRA (Reuters) - British oil firm Tullow Oil (TLW.L) has picked electrical engineer and businessman Kweku Awotwi as the new head of its Ghana operations after the retirement of its current managing director, the company said in a statement.

Tullow is lead operator of two oil fields in Ghana including the West African nation's flagship offshore Jubilee reserves which began commercial production in late 2010.

Awotwi, 57, is the founder of South African-based gold explorer African Precious Minerals Ltd and principal of Triton Group Ltd.

He was one-time chief executive of Ghana's state-run power utility Volta River Authority for more than four years and had previously worked at Ashanti Goldfields as managing director for strategic planning and business development.

Awotwi will start work as Tullow Ghana head on March 1, succeeding Charles Darku, the first Ghanaian managing director who has served the company for five years, Tullow said.

Aside its flagship Jubilee field, Tullow is also lead operator in the offshore TEN (Tweneboa, Enyenra, Ntomme) reserves which came on stream in August 2016.

(Reporting by Kwasi Kpodo; Editing by Edmund Blair and David Evans)