Ghana is expected to meet about 70 per cent of its domestic demand for refined petroleum products through local production once ongoing expansion works at the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) and Sentuo Oil Refinery are completed.
The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Dr. John Abdulai Jinapor, announced this while speaking at the Ghana International Petroleum Conference (GhIPCon) 2026 organized by the National Petroleum Authority(NPA), where he outlined government’s plans to strengthen energy security and increase local value addition in the petroleum sector.
According to Dr. Jinapor, the government is implementing a deliberate strategy to expand Ghana’s refining capacity, reduce dependence on imported petroleum products and ensure that more economic value is derived from the country’s crude oil resources.
He said the vision is to move Ghana beyond being primarily an exporter of crude oil to becoming a country that refines, processes and benefits more from its own petroleum resources.
As part of efforts to revitalise local refining, the Minister announced that the next parcel of Jubilee crude oil will be allocated to the Tema Oil Refinery.
He explained that the decision builds on an earlier government initiative to supply a one-million-barrel parcel of Jubilee crude to a local refinery to support domestic refining operations.
Dr. Jinapor said the expansion programmes at TOR and Sentuo Oil Refinery are expected to significantly increase the country’s refining capacity and enable the two facilities to supply a substantial portion of Ghana’s fuel requirements.
“Upon completion of these expansion programmes, the two refineries are expected to meet approximately 70 percent of Ghana’s domestic demand for refined petroleum products,” he stated.
The Minister noted that increased local refining capacity would reduce the country’s reliance on imported fuel, ease pressure on foreign exchange reserves, improve the balance of payments and enhance the reliability of petroleum product supplies.
He added that a stronger refining sector would also create employment opportunities and stimulate growth in related industries, including transport, engineering, manufacturing, logistics and technology.
Dr. Jinapor emphasised that government remains committed to developing an integrated petroleum value chain as part of efforts to drive Ghana’s industrial transformation.
He said the country must transition from exporting raw materials to refining, processing and manufacturing locally to create more value and economic opportunities for Ghanaians.
