The Minister of Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, has reaffirmed government commitment to the Petroleum Hub project during an official visit to the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation in Accra on Tuesday, October 21, 2025.
The visit formed part of the minister’s familiarisation tour of agencies under the Ministry and provided an opportunity to engage with PHDC management and staff while reinforcing the strategic importance of the initiative to Ghana’s energy future and economic transformation.
The hub, to be sited in Jomoro in the Western Region, is expected to support refinery expansion, petrochemical production, storage and trading facilities that can serve both domestic and regional markets. A 20,000-acre site has been secured for the project, with government plans underway to provide key enablers such as roads, water, and electricity.
Jinapor noted that the PHDC was created to secure and coordinate investment into the petroleum value chain and said the ministry will provide institutional backing required to accelerate progress on the project. “The Petroleum Hub is not just an infrastructure project, it is a national development priority,” he stated.
The minister encouraged staff to uphold professionalism, remain apolitical in the execution of their duties, and embrace innovation and dedication, qualities he described as essential to making the Hub attractive to global investors. He added that further stakeholder engagements would address outstanding concerns regarding financing, environmental compliance, and implementation timelines.
The Acting Chief Executive Officer of PHDC, Dr Toni Aubynn, welcomed these assurances, saying the hub could transform Ghana’s role in Africa’s energy market. He cited global petroleum and petrochemical centres in Singapore and the Netherlands to highlight the project’s potential impact.
Dr Aubynn explained that Malaysia’s similar hub project created over 80,000 jobs in its first phase, suggesting Ghana could unlock comparable opportunities. The PHDC has already begun identifying and training Ghanaians, particularly residents of Jomoro and surrounding communities, with a database of about 600 people who have expressed interest in working within the hub.
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Operations and Technical, Onasis Rosely Kobby, assured the minister of significant progress in the development of the Petroleum Hub project by the time of his next visit. Kobby promised that staff and management would continue working diligently to attract investors to the hub, which is projected to create 780,000 jobs upon completion.
The PHDC has initiated an inter-agency dialogue aimed at reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks and cutting down permit acquisition time from over 349 days to just one month. The PHDC will support investors by liaising with regulatory bodies to obtain necessary permits, with investors operating within the Free Zones enjoying incentives such as import duty exemptions.
The hub will not only serve as an energy and industrial complex but also develop into a modern city with facilities such as a University of Ghana-grade hospital, hotels, and financial institutions.
At the 2025 Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, United States, Jinapor described the Petroleum Hub as a 60 billion United States Dollars project, positioning Ghana as a ready and reliable investment destination.
Senior PHDC directors and managers attended the meeting. The minister was accompanied by officials from the ministry including Acting Director of Power, Sulemana Abubakar; Technical Advisor Yusif Sulemana; and Director of Communication, Richmond Rockson.
