- Sentuo, TOR Crude Deliveries Signal Ghana’s Domestic Refining Reset – Energy Minister
Ghana has taken another significant step towards local petroleum value addition after Sentuo Oil Refinery received approximately one million barrels of Jubilee crude oil for domestic processing.
The delivery marks a major milestone in Ghana’s effort to reduce dependence on imported refined petroleum products, strengthen energy security and retain more value from its natural resources.
Speaking at the Sentuo-Jubilee crude handing-over event, Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Dr John Abdulai Jinapor, said the delivery represented more than a commercial transaction. He described it as a deliberate national policy decision to deepen local value addition and promote industrial transformation.
“Today marks a historic and significant milestone in Ghana’s petroleum industry and in our broader national effort to maximise value from our natural resources,” the Minister said.
“This achievement goes beyond a commercial transaction. It represents a deliberate national policy decision to deepen local value addition, strengthen energy security, promote industrialisation and retain a greater share of the benefits derived from Ghana’s petroleum resources within our economy.”
For years, Ghana has exported crude oil while importing substantial volumes of refined petroleum products. Although that model helped ensure fuel availability during the early years of the country’s petroleum industry, government now says it is no longer sufficient for a country seeking deeper industrial transformation.
Dr Jinapor said Ghana’s ambition must now move beyond the export of raw materials.
“True economic transformation requires that we process, refine and add value to our resources locally, creating jobs, building technical capacity, strengthening domestic industries and generating greater economic benefits for our people,” he said.
The Minister said the delivery of Jubilee crude to Sentuo builds on President John Dramani Mahama’s long-standing vision of increasing local participation and value addition in Ghana’s petroleum sector.
He recalled that the first successful supply of Ghanaian crude oil to a domestic refinery occurred in 2016, during President Mahama’s administration, when approximately one million barrels of TEN crude were supplied through AOT aboard the MT Bodiera for local processing.
According to him, that initiative demonstrated the feasibility and strategic importance of linking Ghana’s upstream crude production to domestic refining capacity.
“Today, we are building on that foundation,” Dr Jinapor said.
“The delivery of Jubilee crude oil to Sentuo Oil Refinery represents another important step in advancing the same vision of transforming Ghana from a producer and exporter of crude oil into a country that increasingly refines, processes and adds value to its own resources.”
Sentuo Oil Refinery has emerged as one of the most significant private sector investments in Ghana’s downstream petroleum industry.
The refinery was designed as a 100,000 barrels-per-stream-day facility to be developed in two phases. Phase One, completed in 2024, is currently operating at a capacity of 40,000 barrels per stream day.
Dr Jinapor said the completion of Phase One had already contributed meaningfully to Ghana’s refining capacity, petroleum product availability and energy security.
He added that Sentuo’s planned Phase Two expansion, expected to add 60,000 barrels per stream day, would bring the refinery to its full planned capacity of 100,000 barrels per stream day.
That, he said, would position Ghana as an important refining and petroleum products hub within West Africa and the wider sub-region.
The delivery comes at a time when geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have heightened concerns over global energy markets and fuel supply chains.
Dr Jinapor disclosed that during Cabinet deliberations on the potential implications of the tensions, President Mahama directed urgent measures to strengthen Ghana’s energy security and reduce exposure to external supply disruptions.
One of the key interventions identified was the processing of Ghana’s own crude oil through domestic refining facilities wherever possible.
“The Ministry of Energy and Green Transition responded swiftly because we firmly believe that domestic refining is not only an energy security imperative but also a critical component of our industrial transformation agenda,” he said.
Following the President’s directive, the Ministry initiated engagements with Sentuo Oil Refinery, the Jubilee partners and the Sankofa partners to explore practical pathways for supplying locally produced crude to the refinery.
The Ministry also held extensive discussions with GNPC, Explorco, Tullow Ghana, Kosmos Energy, Vitol Ghana and other key stakeholders to facilitate the necessary commercial and operational arrangements.
Dr Jinapor said those engagements had produced the current delivery of approximately one million barrels of Jubilee crude to Sentuo for processing.
He also disclosed that the Tema Oil Refinery successfully received one million barrels of crude oil on May 27, 2026, and resumed refining operations on June 3, 2026.
“This marks a significant milestone in the Government’s efforts to restore Ghana’s premier refinery to sustainable operations and strengthen the country’s energy security,” he said.
“With a consistent crude oil supply line now established, TOR is well-positioned to maintain continuous production to support local fuel requirements and reduce dependence on imported refined petroleum products.”
The Minister further indicated that TOR is expected to receive a second parcel of Ghanaian crude oil, reinforcing government’s commitment to local refining, industrialisation and national economic transformation.
For government, the implications of local refining go beyond fuel supply.
Dr Jinapor said a stronger domestic refining industry would improve supply reliability, reduce exposure to international supply shocks, improve foreign exchange retention, create jobs and support ancillary industries across the petroleum value chain.
He added that local refining creates opportunities for skills development, technology transfer and increased participation by Ghanaian businesses in the energy sector.
“These are precisely the kinds of linkages that drive sustainable industrialisation and long-term economic growth,” he said.
The Minister also linked local refining to Ghana’s broader energy transition strategy.
He said while government continues to accelerate investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency and other green technologies, petroleum resources will still play an important role in supporting economic growth, industrialisation and energy security during the transition period.
“Our objective is therefore clear: to leverage today’s petroleum resources responsibly while investing in the cleaner energy systems of tomorrow,” he said.
“The two objectives are complementary and mutually reinforcing.”
Dr Jinapor assured investors and industry participants that government remains committed to policies that encourage investment, support local value addition and strengthen collaboration across the entire petroleum value chain.
He said government would continue to provide the policy certainty and institutional support needed to unlock the full potential of Ghana’s energy sector.
“As we celebrate this important milestone today, let us remain focused on the bigger objective before us: transforming Ghana from a producer of raw materials into a nation that increasingly processes, refines and adds value to its own resources,” he said.
“That is the pathway to industrial transformation, sustainable job creation, economic resilience and shared prosperity.”
The delivery of Jubilee crude to Sentuo and the resumption of operations at TOR suggest a renewed push to rebuild Ghana’s local refining capacity after years of underperformance and dependence on imported finished fuel products.
But the success of the policy will depend on consistency.
A single crude delivery will not transform the petroleum economy. The real test will be whether Ghana can establish a regular supply pipeline for local refineries, maintain commercial viability, enforce operational and environmental standards and ensure that local processing translates into measurable economic benefits.
If sustained, local refining could reduce import dependence, support jobs, preserve foreign exchange and create the foundation for wider industrial activity in petrochemicals, logistics, manufacturing and related sectors. For now, the Sentuo delivery sends a clear message: Ghana wants to move from extracting crude to refining, processing and retaining more value at home.
