Herbert Krapa Promises Revival of Tema Oil Refinery.

Plans are well underway for the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to secure a strategic partner within the next 90 days to commence full operations.

To ensure a successful and beneficial process for the country, Herbert Krapa, Minister of State for the Ministry of Energy, emphasized that the government, through the Ministry and its agencies, will oversee and protect the process.

Mr. Krapa’s comments followed the announcement by TOR’s Managing Director, Kofi Tagoe Mocumbi, who stated that the refinery would finalize the process and reveal a strategic investor within the next three months during a tour of the refinery in Tema on Tuesday.

This marks Mr. Krapa’s first official visit to a sector agency since assuming office. He also visited Sentuo Refinery and Tropical Cable and Conductors Limited, both located in Tema. During the briefing, Mr. Mocumbi assured the Minister and the media that TOR had initiated the process to select a strategic partner to revamp and expand its operations, setting a three-month timeline for this.

Mr. Krapa affirmed the government’s commitment to providing TOR with “capital, technology, and efficiency” to rejuvenate the refinery, fulfill its core mandate, generate revenue for the state, and secure employment for its staff.

He noted that while the search for a strategic investor continues, immediate interventions are necessary to prepare the refinery, including operationalizing departments such as the laboratory.

“There is no gain saying that TOR needs all our support and attention, and we all need to put our hands on deck. It is for these reasons that I chose TOR to be my first official visit to the institutions that work under the ministry,” he added.

Mr. Krapa emphasized TOR’s strategic importance in the downstream sector and expressed concern over its prolonged inactivity.

“I don’t think it is late in the day. I have had conversations with the President [Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo]. He doesn’t believe it is late in the day, and I am running on the back of his energy. That is the reason I chose TOR as the first,” he said, adding that he is well-versed in TOR’s issues.

He expressed strong conviction that finding a strategic investor is a key objective and hoped that all stakeholders, including the board, management, and the union, would unite to expedite progress in revamping TOR.

He stressed that securing a strategic investor should not be seen as a single event but as part of a broader process that includes preparing the terminal, pipelines, laboratories, and storage facilities to operate efficiently and generate revenue.

Regarding TOR’s facilities being used to store Sentuo Refinery products, Mr. Krapa noted that the two companies are not competitors. He emphasized that both the local and international markets are vast enough for both entities to thrive, and TOR should view renting its facilities to Sentuo as a beneficial arrangement while it works towards fully revamping its operations.

Mr. Krapa, along with his entourage, visited Sentuo Refinery. He was accompanied by the Ministry’s Chief Director Wilhelmina Asamoah, Deputy Chief Executive Officers of the National Petroleum Authority Ghana Perry Curtis Kwabla Okudzeto and Linda Asante, and various Directors and Heads of Department from the Ministry.

At Sentuo Refinery, Mr. Krapa assured management that the government, through its policies and programs, will continue to foster a conducive environment for local industry players to grow and expand their investments.