Billionaire businessman and owner of Springfield Energy Kevin Okyere has opened up about his life in an interview monitored by MyNewsGH.com on growing up with his 27 siblings, his father’s wealth, what it meant for him and later how he founded Springfield Energy which has struck one of the largest oil deposits in Africa worth more than tens of billion of dollars.
In a TV3 interview by Paa Kwasi Asare, Kevin Okyere revealed for the first time, that contrary to popular rumour that he was an only child of a wealthy father, he actually has 27 other siblings 3 or 4 of whom are late.
Taking his turn on Time With the Captains on Media General’s TV3, Kevin Okyere revealed that his father was a wealthy dealer and industrialist who traded in Timber, cocoa and other products which fetched him a lot of money. More money in those days also meant more children.
He disclosed that after secondary school, he attended George Masons university in Virginia, in the United States.
Explaining how the name “Springfield” came about, Kevin Okyere said:
“I went to school in George Masons university in Virginia and it (Springfield) is an area. I know. But the name Springfield actually comes from, you know, when things are springing up. When opportunities are gushing… ideas are gushing out. When Blessings are gushing out… oil and gas are gushing… When plants, I mean on the farm are gushing out.” He said making eruption gestures with his hands.
According to Kevin Okyere, although he was born a “chip off the old block”, I didn’t the opportunities that came to me for granted” as he organized his friends and sold water at Kotoko matches in Kumasi to gain entry and also worked as a student to pay his way through school.
He credited his mother for his success as she had always encouraged him to build his own wealth as “there is a great deal of difference between ‘this is ours’ and ‘this is mine’”, he said in the MyNewsGH.com-monitored interview.
Oil discovery
Springfield Exploration and Production (SEP) Limited and its Partners, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and GNPC EXPLORCO, officially announce significant oil discovery following its maiden Afina-1 well drilling campaign in the West Cape Three Points (WCTP) Block 2, offshore Ghana.
Springfield has more than doubled its discovered oil in place volume to 1.5 billion barrels and added 0.7tcf of gas.
In press statement, Springfield stated “The current undiscovered potential of the Block is estimated at over 3 billion barrels of oil and gas in multiple leads and prospects within various proven reservoir units.”
“With this, Springfield has made history as the first Independent Ghanaian and African Energy Company to drill in deepwater and find hydrocarbons.”
Springfield is currently the Operator and Majority Interest Holder (84%) of WCTP Block 2, with GNPC and its exploration company, EXPLORCO, holding the remaining interest.
