Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Dr John Abdulai Jinapor, has reaffirmed government’s commitment to restoring the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) as a strategic pillar of Ghana’s energy security and industrial transformation.
Dr Jinapor joined President John Dramani Mahama and other stakeholders on Saturday for the official commissioning of the refurbished Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) at TOR, marking a major milestone in efforts to revive the state-owned refinery.
The Energy Minister said the successful restoration of TOR formed part of government’s broader energy sector reset agenda, noting that the refinery’s core operations had remained largely dormant under a previous private operating arrangement that failed to deliver the expected outcomes.
According to him, the revival of TOR would help restore investor confidence, facilitate the local refining of Ghana’s crude oil, reduce the country’s dependence on imported refined petroleum products and support the implementation of President Mahama’s 24-Hour Economy and Reset Agenda.
Dr Jinapor said government was committed to revitalising strategic national assets such as TOR to create jobs, retain value within the domestic economy and strengthen Ghana’s energy independence.
He disclosed that, in line with President Mahama’s directive, he had prepared a comprehensive roadmap to expand TOR’s refining capacity to 100,000 barrels per day (bpd).
The expansion, he said, would enable Ghana to refine a greater proportion of its crude oil locally, meet a larger share of domestic petroleum demand and position the country as a major petroleum refining hub for the sub-region.
“We must move beyond simply reviving TOR. Our objective is to build a refinery that is efficient, commercially viable and capable of supporting Ghana’s long-term energy security and industrialisation.”
Dr Jinapor commended TOR Managing Director, Edmund Kombat, the Board, management and staff for their commitment, resilience and hard work in restoring the refinery to operation.
He urged the workforce to sustain the momentum and maintain the highest standards of operational excellence, safety and professionalism to ensure the long-term success of the refinery.
The Minister also reiterated his commitment to working closely with TOR’s management and staff to build a stronger, more resilient and self-reliant energy sector capable of supporting Ghana’s economic transformation.
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