Ghana has achieved a significant milestone in its petroleum industry with the delivery of locally produced Jubilee crude oil to the Sentuo Oil Refinery for processing and refining in the country, a move aimed at deepening local value addition and strengthening energy security.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark the occasion, the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, ƒDr. John Abdulai Jinapor described the development as more than a commercial transaction, saying it reflected a deliberate national policy to maximise the benefits of Ghana’s natural resources.

“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,” he said.

According to the Minister, Ghana’s long-term ambition is to move beyond exporting crude oil and importing refined products by building domestic capacity to process and add value to its petroleum resources.

He noted that local refining would create jobs, strengthen technical expertise and support domestic industries.

Dr Jinapor said the latest development aligns with the vision of President John Dramani Mahama to ensure that Ghana’s natural resources contribute directly to industrial development and national prosperity.

He recalled that the first successful supply of Ghanaian crude oil to a domestic refinery took place in 2016 under President Mahama’s administration, when approximately one million barrels of TEN crude oil were processed locally.

“Today, we are building on that foundation,” the Minister stated. “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.”