Ghana’s newly appointed Minister for Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has served notice to management of Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) and staff of the refinery that the government will not hesitate in taking action against those whose activity is affecting the growth of the company.
According to him, TOR is a strategic national asset and so the government will keep it and ensure that it grows stronger than it has been.
“TOR is not in a healthy state. And anyone working here…management or ordinary worker who thinks his activity will not lead to the promotion of TOR should find himself a better place to work,” he warned.
Workers of the West African nation’s only refinery, in recent times, have been up in arms with management and Board of the refinery for failing to manage the refinery efficiently.
They accused management of failing to turn the refinery around to bring improvement in their working condition.
In view of this, they demanded the removal of the board and some of the management whose actions, they claimed, are affecting the progress of the refinery.
Addressing management and staff of the refinery at a durbar on Thursday, Dr Matthew Opoku conscientised staff of the refinery that it is not their duty to tell who manages the refinery and who does not.
“It is not the duty of the workers to tell who manages TOR. It is the duty of management of TOR to ensure that TOR grows to become a profitable and healthy entity. And if they are not up to it, then, the owner, which is the Government of Ghana, will do everything possible to bring the necessary changes,” he stated.
The Energy Minister told the gathering that President Akufo-Addo’s vision is to see TOR being run so efficiently to become the premier refinery that is able to export refined product to other African countries.
Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, who pledged the commitment of the government to ensuring that the refinery gets a partner, indicated the government’s resolve to remove those who would be a stumbling block.
The Energy Minister was accompanied by Chief Director of the Ministry, Mr. Lawrence Apaalse, Kwasi Adjei (Accountant of the Ministry), Ernest Wiafe (Internal Auditor of the Ministry),Benjamin Asante (Director for Upstream at the Energy Ministry), Lawrence Lartey and other officials of the ministry.
The Managing Director for Tema Oil Refinery, Mr. Francis. A.T Boateng thanked the Minister for choosing TOR as the first SOE to be visited.
The TOR MD, who described the visit by the Minister to the refinery as both an honour and privilege, said the Energy Minister’s visit emphasised his commitment to helping bring TOR back to life, a promise he gave during his vetting.
Mr. Francis Boateng lauded the Minister for the immeasurable role he played in ensuring that funds were made available to TOR for the purpose of completing and commissioning the second furnace to replace the one which exploded in January 2017.
The TOR MD further thanked the Ministry of Finance and SIGA for their support to Tema Oil Refinery.
He said the completion of the furnace project would return TOR to its nameplate capacity of 45,000 barrels per stream daily, thus, doubling the refinery’s revenue generation potential.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
