Ghana has marked a historic turning point in its petroleum and industrialisation journey with the arrival of locally produced Jubilee crude oil at the Sentuo Oil Refinery for processing, signalling a bold shift from exporting raw resources to adding value within the country.
Speaking at the refinery’s first-ever Jubilee Crude Oil Berth Ceremony, the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, described the occasion as a defining moment in Ghana’s history and a significant step towards President John Dramani Mahama’s vision of building an economy that transforms natural wealth into tangible benefits for its people.
“For the first time in Ghana’s history as an oil-producing nation, a cargo of Jubilee crude, lifted from beneath our own waters, has arrived not in Rotterdam, Guangdong or the Gulf of Mexico, but here on Ghanaian soil, at a world-class refinery in Tema, to be transformed into fuel that will power Ghanaian homes, businesses and roads,” she stated.
The Minister noted that for over 15 years, ordinary Ghanaians had borne the burden of fluctuating fuel prices due to reliance on imported refined products. “Today, that cycle begins to change as we build the Ghana envisioned under President Mahama’s reset agenda – a Ghana that not only extracts its wealth but transforms it,” she said.
Hon. Ofosu-Adjare praised Sentuo Oil Refinery Limited and its parent company, the Sentuo Group, for their nearly US$2 billion investment, describing it as a vote of confidence in Ghana’s industrial future and Africa’s broader ambition to move beyond raw material exports. She highlighted the refinery’s economic linkages, from diesel for transport and logistics to LPG for households and asphalt for road construction.
“The benefits of this refinery extend far beyond petroleum products. Behind every barrel refined are jobs, opportunities, technical skills and improved livelihoods for Ghanaian workers, engineers and families,” she added.
She further disclosed that government is committed to supporting a local industrial ecosystem around the refinery, including petrochemicals, fertiliser production, plastics and other inputs to deepen Ghana’s manufacturing base. Plans for a fertiliser plant, she revealed, had already generated excitement during recent discussions in China.
Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Hon. Dr. John Abdulai Jinapor, also hailed the arrival of Jubilee crude at Sentuo as a landmark achievement. He said the milestone reflects government’s commitment to deepening local value addition, strengthening energy security and retaining a greater share of petroleum sector benefits.
Hon. Jinapor announced that arrangements had been concluded for approximately one million barrels of Jubilee crude oil to be supplied to Sentuo for processing, while Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) had already resumed operations with one million barrels received in May. He added that Sentuo’s Phase Two expansion would raise capacity from 40,000 barrels per stream day to 100,000, positioning Ghana as a major refining hub in West Africa.
Founder and Executive Chairman of Sentuo Group, Mr. Xu Ningquan, described the ceremony under the theme “Ghana’s Oil Fields to Ghana’s Industries” as both timely and strategically important. “Every barrel refined domestically creates opportunities for local businesses and strengthens Ghana’s competitiveness,” he said, reiterating Sentuo’s commitment to supporting Ghana’s ambition of becoming a petroleum hub for the sub-region.
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