By Samuel Ouma
The highly anticipated move of Africa Oil Week (AOW) from South Africa to Ghana has led to controversy and a legal dispute at the High Court in Accra between the Africa Prosperity Network (APN) and the UK-based Sankofa Advisory Group.
The dispute centers on claims of broken contracts, damage to reputation, and loss of trust.
APN’s law clerk, Roland Johnson, filed an affidavit accusing Sankofa Advisory Group of using APN’s connections and reputation to help move AOW to Accra, but not keeping its promises in return.
Johnson asserted that the defendant “cynically exploited the Plaintiff’s credibility, networks, and governmental access as an indispensable conduit for its relocation, with no genuine intention to honour its own obligations once that objective was achieved.”
“The Defendant cynically exploited the Plaintiff’s credibility, networks, and governmental access as an indispensable conduit for its relocation, with no genuine intention to honour its own obligations once that objective was achieved,” Johnson said in the affidavit.
According to court records, APN and Sankofa signed a 10-year partnership on July 15, 2024. APN would be named as a lead partner for AOW and featured in promotional materials, while Sankofa agreed to support APN’s main project, the Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD), with funding and strategy.
APN says it kept its promises, but Sankofa used the partnership to gain attention and then ended the agreement suddenly.
During APD 2025, which attracted more than 4,000 delegates from 46 countries, Sankofa allegedly gained visibility equivalent to that of a headline sponsor without meeting the expected financial obligations.
According to the affidavit, Sankofa prepared promotional videos and public relations materials that were prominently featured at the conference, using the global platform to announce the relocation of AOW from Cape Town to Accra and reaping wide international publicity in the process.
“The Defendant prepared promotional videos and PR materials that were prominently featured throughout APD 2025, securing immediate, wide international publicity for the relocation,” the affidavit noted.
APN further alleges that it used its high-level government connections at Sankofa’s request to smoothen the relocation. The organization claims it facilitated engagements with the Presidency of Ghana, the AfCFTA Secretariat, and other key state institutions to secure legitimacy and state endorsement for the move.
Notably, APN says it arranged for a pre-recorded goodwill message from Ghana’s president to be broadcast during AOW’s announcement in Cape Town, a symbolic gesture designed to underscore Ghana’s commitment to host the event.
Despite these efforts, Sankofa ended the partnership less than a year later, on May 21, 2025. APN describes this as a serious breach and act of bad faith. The organization says Sankofa took advantage of APN’s credibility and resources to secure the conference’s move, then cut ties once that goal was met.
“The Defendant’s conduct demonstrates that it entered into the Agreement solely to extract maximum benefit from the Plaintiff’s reputation, networks, and resources, then discard the Plaintiff once the relocation was secured,” APN told the court.
APN is now seeking $300,000 in damages, accrued interest, a share of sponsorship revenues it claims to have been unfairly excluded from, and compensation for reputational harm. The organization insists that Sankofa’s actions not only cost it financially but also undermined its credibility as a continental convener.
The lawsuit now risks taking attention away from what was meant to be a major milestone for Africa Oil Week. After many years in Cape Town, moving the event to Accra was promoted as a way to give the conference a stronger African identity, with Ghana as a key center for energy discussions.
Now, the event’s first year in Ghana faces uncertainty. The result of the court case will decide if AOW’s new chapter in Accra is remembered for working together or for ongoing disputes.
