Ignore ‘economic propaganda’; TOR refines Ghanaian medium sweet crude same as what is in Nigeria and Ivory Coast in the Equatorial basin – TOR MD Kombat

Ignore ‘economic propaganda’; TOR refines Ghanaian medium sweet crude same as what is in Nigeria and Ivory Coast in the Equatorial basin – TOR MD Edmond Kombat

The Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Edmond Kombat has reiterated the refinery’s capability to refine Ghanaian crude contrary some arguments that TOR lacks that capacity.

Addressing a press briefing in Accra on Monday (October 26, 2026) and exhibiting different types of products (crude) that TOR refines, Mr Kombat said “in the past, you would have heard that TOR cannot refine Ghanaian crude and all of it.”

“It was just economic propaganda by people who didn’t want our state institutions to run. In fact, all the Equatorial basin, between Nigeria all the way through Ivory Coast, has the same crude, they are medium sweet crude. So, we refine Nigerian crude, we refine Ivorian crude, how can we refine Nigerian crude, Ivorian crude but cannot refine Ghanaian crude,” Mr Kombat explained.

The medium medium sweet crude oil is a type of unprocessed petroleum that has a medium density (an API gravity generally between 22.3° and 31.1°) and a low sulfur content (less than 0.5%)

At the media briefing, the TOR MD displayed some crude products which TOR has been refining including Sankofa, one of the best crude, naphtha also from Sankofa, Jubilee crude, Residue fuel for electric power plants, heavy gasoil (diesel), premix for the entire country (Ghana) and aviation fuel (ATK).

The TOR MD said his outfit does 100 percent of the premix fuel for the entire country (Ghana), that is the fuel used by fisherfolks for their outboard motors.

He said there are about three million fisherfolks in Ghana from Axim to Keta and 100% of everything (fuel) that they use is done from TOR and so TOR ensures that enough is produced so that there is no shortage.

He said the premix quantities have recently been increased by five times to make that there is constant availability.

Refining Ghanaian crude in Ghana keeps value onshore

Mr Kombat underscored the strategic importance of refining Ghanaian crude oil domestically, describing it as a critical step toward retaining value within the national economy and fulfilling the President’s vision for value addition.

“Refining Ghanaian crude in Ghana keeps value onshore. It fulfills the value addition vision of the President for Ghana,” Mr Kombat said in his remarks at the Government Accountability Press Conference, at the Jubilee House in Accra.

Mr Kombat said since May 2026, TOR had received four 5-million-barrel crude cargoes: Bonga, Baleine, Bonnie Light, followed on July 15, by Ghana’s Jubilee Medium Sweet crude, an indigenous crude delivered aboard MT Apache.

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