Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Dr. John Abdulai Jinapor, has called for increased investment in domestic petroleum refining across Africa to reduce dependence on imported finished petroleum products and protect economies against disruptions in global fuel supply.
Speaking at the 16th Meeting of ECOWAS Ministers in Charge of Energy in Accra, Dr. Jinapor warned that geopolitical tensions, particularly developments in the Middle East, continue to expose African economies to fluctuations in petroleum prices and supply chains.
He argued that African countries must develop the industrial capacity to process their natural resources locally rather than remain excessively dependent on foreign refineries.
The Minister cited Ghana’s historical reliance on imported refined petroleum products despite being a crude oil producer as an example of the continent’s vulnerability.
He identified the operations of the Tema Oil Refinery and Sentuo Oil Refinery as important components of Ghana’s strategy to strengthen domestic refining capacity and improve petroleum supply security.
According to Dr. Jinapor, local refining has helped improve the availability of petroleum products and provided greater flexibility in responding to external supply disruptions.
He, however, acknowledged that domestic refining does not completely shield countries against changes in international crude oil prices.
The Minister consequently urged West African governments to strengthen petroleum storage, distribution infrastructure and cross-border trade to build a more resilient regional fuel supply system.
