The Ministry of Energy has refuted claims, indicating that no contract has been signed between Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) and its potential partners, Torentco.
The Ministry insists that even though there are ongoing negotiations between the state agency and Torentco, no contractual agreement has been signed.
The Spokesperson for the Ministry, Kofi Abrefa Afena, in a press release issued on Sunday, June 25, asked the critics of the sector minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, to verify their suspicions before making them public.
According to him, such claims are baseless and the critics are unnecessarily damaging the reputation of persons in government.
In the said release, Mr. Abrefa Afena challenged persons with any contrary documents to produce them or stop making unfounded accusations.
“Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh as Energy Minister has demonstrated without a shred of doubt, his total commitment to getting TOR back to work in line with the vision of His Excellency the President.”
“Indeed, the Board, Management and Staff of the Company are on record to have severally touted the numerous positive interventions of the Minister in this regard.”
Mr. Abrefa Afena expressed the government’s desire to find strategic partners for the refinery.
“Government’s quest at finding a credible partner towards revamping the company involves key state actors such as the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA) and the Attorney General’s Department,” he added.
Meanwhile, several Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), including the Africa Center for Energy Policy (ACEP), have raised concerns about the lease agreement negotiations between Torentco and the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR).
ACEP revealed that Torentco, a newly established local Ghanaian company formed in January 2023, lacks the track record in the petroleum business and does not have the capacity to effectively take over TOR.
“This is a new local Ghanaian company formed here in Ghana in January 2023, with no track record. If they fail to deliver, how do you hold them accountable? They don’t have any track record of dealing in petroleum businesses,” Mr Boakye said in a media interview.
But TOR, in an official response, said the proposed deal entails a strategic partnership between TOR and Torentco, with the aim of modernizing the refinery’s operations, optimizing efficiency, and enhancing its competitive position.
