Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has praised Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) Managing Director Edmond Kombat for what he described as a turnaround in the fortunes of the state-owned refinery, citing it as an example of the contribution young leaders can make to national development.
Speaking at the National Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) Conference on Friday, October 16, Ablakwa said the refinery’s performance demonstrated the value of entrusting young people with leadership responsibilities.
“Recently, Ghanaians were amazed at how one of the young CEOs has turned around the fortunes of Tema Oil Refinery (TOR),” he said.
Ablakwa argued that the refinery had previously faced the prospect of being sold after being characterised as a non-performing state asset.
“It was going to be sold for a stock, as usual, as they (NPP) know how to do, that was a non-performing state asset, and so should be sold,” he said.
He claimed that the process had nearly been completed before the asset was rescued.
“They had almost finalized the process. And the people of Ghana rescued the TOR stock,” he said.
The minister also questioned the rationale behind classifying state-owned enterprises as unproductive assets while private interests remained interested in acquiring them.
“The company they had collapsed, had become a useless state asset. And it’s so interesting how they declared those state assets useless, but then they are interested in purchasing them, in their private purposes,” he said.
Ablakwa’s comments formed part of a broader argument about the role of young people in government and the importance of giving them opportunities to demonstrate their abilities in public service.
He cited President John Dramani Mahama’s approach to appointing young people to leadership positions, arguing that the government’s confidence in younger professionals was producing results across different sectors.
The minister also referenced the creation of a dedicated Ministry of Youth Empowerment as an example of the administration’s efforts to address the concerns and aspirations of young people.
