In a move to revitalize the operations of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Ghana’s Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has inaugurated the reconstituted board of the refinery.
The board, chaired by Leon Kendon Appenteng, was officially inaugurated on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, at the Ministry of Energy in Accra.
The newly appointed board consists of eleven members, including Dr. Antoinette Tsiboe-Darko, Mrs. Edith Sapara Grant, and Nana Akua Bakoma Prempeh. Other members are Mrs. Loraine Crabbe Ababio, Alfred Thompson, Joseph Mensah Browne, Kwame Baffoe, Herbert Ato Morrisson, and Kofi Mocumbi Tagoe, the new Managing Director of TOR.
During the inauguration ceremony, Energy Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh emphasized the importance of the board’s role in attracting new strategic partners to enhance the viability and adaptability of TOR to current challenges and opportunities.
“The Tema Oil Refinery has a longstanding and chequered history that I am sure we are all familiar with. Indeed, two years ago this month, I had the duty of inaugurating a substantive board after an Interim Management Committee had replaced an earlier substantive board. In spite of several interventions in the past, TOR seems to remain in distress. This cannot, and must not continue,” said the Minister.
He further urged the board members to view new entrants into the market as collaborators rather than competitors. Dr. Opoku Prempeh stressed the need for TOR to modernize and become a profitable organization that supports the government’s agenda.
“There is enough demand in the country for what TOR’s core mandate stands for, and I urge you to see new entrants into the market more as your collaborators than your competitors per se,” he stated.
The Energy Minister called on TOR to strive towards becoming a viable player in the oil refinery industry and to seize the opportunities presented by the growing demand for their services.
“I urge you to be mindful that demand is not stagnant, and TOR must work hard towards becoming a viable player in this industry and to take advantage of the demand for your services,” indicated.
The inauguration of the reconstituted board marks a significant step towards revitalizing the operations of the Tema Oil Refinery and ensuring its success in the ever-evolving energy sector in Ghana.
By Vincent Kubi