The Minister of Energy and Green Transition, Dr John Abdulai Jinapor, has pledged to lead inter-ministerial engagements to resolve outstanding land acquisition, compensation and financing issues delaying the development of Ghana’s Petroleum Hub.
Dr Jinapor says he will engage the Ministries of Finance and Lands and Natural Resources, as well as the Attorney-General’s Office, to address the outstanding issues and create the conditions needed for the project to advance.
The commitment follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation (PHDC) and an investment consortium led by Global Sphere of the United Arab Emirates for the development of Lot 2 of the project.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Dr Jinapor said the interest shown by investors must be matched by decisive action from government institutions to remove barriers to implementation.
He pledged to work closely with the PHDC to fulfil the government’s obligations and ensure the project moves beyond agreements to actual construction.
“You have my full support. I will engage the Minister of Finance and the Attorney-General. I will also bring on board the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources so that, together, we can guide this project and provide the necessary backing,” he said.
Dr Jinapor also commended the PHDC, led by Chief Executive Officer Dr Toni Aubynn, for its efforts to advance the initiative. He said the Corporation required full institutional support to deliver a project central to President John Dramani Mahama’s ambitions for Ghana’s oil and gas sector.
Dr Aubynn described the Minister as a consistent supporter of the Petroleum Hub and said the Corporation had made implementation a priority in 2026.
He said the project was intended to become a strategic national asset that would strengthen energy security, create jobs and reduce Ghana’s exposure to external economic shocks, including geopolitical tensions affecting global energy markets.
“We believed that the groundwork had been laid, that the partnerships were within our reach, and that the time had come to move from boardroom plans on paper to progress on the ground,” he said.
Under the proposed Lot 2 development, the consortium is expected to construct a refinery with a capacity of 300,000 barrels per stream day, two petrochemical plants, storage infrastructure with a capacity of four million cubic metres, and a multi-berth jetty.
The development is expected to be completed within five years, with on-site activities in Jomoro scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2027.
The planned inter-ministerial engagements will be critical to resolving the land and compensation issues that could affect the project’s timeline. The next test will be whether the government and the PHDC can translate the investment agreement into financing arrangements, cleared project sites and construction activity.
