The Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), Duncan Amoah, has urged the government to make deliberate technical and strategic investments in the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to strengthen Ghana’s downstream petroleum sector.

Speaking in an interview on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Tuesday, April 14, Mr Amoah said improving the refinery’s efficiency is critical to reducing Ghana’s dependence on imported refined petroleum products and stabilising fuel prices.

“Government must invest technically and strategically in the refinery. Bring it to a more modern refinery concept so that I don’t take 1 million barrels there and you end up giving me 850,000 or 900,000 because of an inefficient, old, obsolete plant. Whatever necessary investment we need to put in the refinery, put it there,” he said.

Mr Amoah noted that a modernised refinery system would help Ghana retain more value from its petroleum resources instead of relying heavily on imports to meet national demand.

He further called for the effective use of infrastructure at the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST), urging the government to prioritise strategic reserve margins to cushion the country during periods of global supply shocks.

According to him, strengthening storage capacity would allow Ghana to maintain strategic fuel reserves that can stabilise supply and prices in times of crisis without relying heavily on emergency government interventions.

His comments come amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has led to rising fuel prices, while pressure is mounting on the government to cushion Ghanaians.

Although the government has announced some measures—including tax relief interventions—these are yet to take effect. Policy think tanks, including IMANI Africa and the Institute for Energy Security, are advocating for a GHS 1.65 per litre adjustment to ease pressure on consumers.