President John Dramani Mahama has directed the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, the Board of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), and its management to develop a strategic plan to expand the refinery's processing capacity to 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day, while also announcing plans to restructure the state-owned refinery to permanently eliminate political interference in its operations.

The President said the directives form part of government's broader agenda to transform TOR into a modern, commercially viable refinery capable of meeting Ghana's energy needs, supporting regional trade and driving industrialisation.

Speaking at the commissioning of the refurbished Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) at TOR, President Mahama stressed that the rehabilitation of the refinery marks only the beginning of a more ambitious transformation programme.

"In this regard, I am pleased to announce that I have directed the Minister of Energy and Green Transition to work with the Board and Management of TOR to present government with a strategic plan to expand the capacity of the refinery to 100,000 barrels a day," he said.

The proposed expansion would more than double the refinery's current installed processing capacity and is expected to strengthen Ghana's ability to refine crude oil locally, reduce dependence on imported petroleum products and position the country as a petroleum processing hub within the sub-region.

President Mahama also announced plans to overhaul the governance structure of the refinery, arguing that insulating TOR from political influence is essential to ensuring its long-term sustainability.

"We will also restructure the Tema Oil Refinery in order that we permanently eliminate political interference in its work," he declared.

Although the President did not provide details of the proposed restructuring, the announcement signals government's intention to pursue governance reforms aimed at improving the refinery's operational efficiency, financial performance and commercial independence.

TOR has faced years of financial and operational difficulties, with recurring shutdowns, mounting debt and ageing infrastructure limiting its ability to operate at full capacity.

The commissioning of the refurbished Crude Distillation Unit is expected to restore the refinery's core processing operations after years of inactivity and forms part of government's wider efforts to revive the country's only state-owned refinery.

President Mahama said the expansion and restructuring plans are aligned with his administration's "Reset Agenda", which seeks to promote value addition, create jobs, strengthen domestic industries and enhance Ghana's energy security.

He expressed confidence that a revitalised and commercially independent TOR would play a central role in building an integrated petroleum industry capable of serving both Ghana and the wider West African market.