Sentuo Oil Refinery to start test run August (Daily Graphic, Tuesday, July 11, 2023 Page 20)

 

Sentuo Oil Refinery Limited's new oil refinery under construction in the Tema industrial enclave is expected to commence commercial operations (test run) in August, this year. 

The $1.98 billion investment has a capacity of five million metric tonnes per year, that is 100,000 barrels per stream a day.

The operationalisation of the plant has been divided into two phases.

Phase one will see the facility processing up to two million metric tonnes per year, which would later be scaled up to five million metric tonnes per year.

The refinery will employ about 900 people directly.

The Technical Advisor of the project, George Andoh, disclosed this yesterday when the Minister of Trade and Industry, Kobina Tahir Hammond, paid a familiarisation visit to the project site.

Mr Andoh said the new refinery would help the country to cut its long-standing dependence on imported gasoline and diesel supplies, and save the country the millions of dollars spent to import finished petroleum products.

Mr Hammond said the presence of the facility in Ghana, driven by the One district, One factory initiative, was an example of President Akufo-Addo's vision for Ghana as far as the development of the country was concerned.

He said the facility should see an end to access to refined products challenges in Ghana, adding that ultimately, after the second phase, it was going to refine enough products to meet the entire petroleum needs of the country.

Mr Hammond further indicated that the amount of money that went into the importation of finished products into the country was phenomenal, hence such a facility in Ghana producing the volumes required was a welcome initiative.

Responding to a proposition from the Chairman of the Sentuo Group of Companies, Xu Ningquan, to have at least one million barrels of crude oil from Ghana's oil fields for the test run when the facility is commissioned, Mr Hammond said he would liaise with the Minister of Energy to see how feasible the proposal was. 

Energy needs

Mr Ningquan said the project should be seen as an entirely Ghana project designed to support the economy as far as the energy needs were concerned.

He expressed optimism that when finally commissioned, the company would meet the energy needs of the country and also contribute to foreign exchange savings.

Mr Ningquan appealed to the government for support in terms of tax waivers and other exemptions, as well as an enabling environment for the successful operation of the plant.

A communication consultant of Sentuo Oil Refinery Ltd, Rev. Dr George Dawson Ahmoah, said to avoid unfair trade practices and considering the magnitude of impact the facility would make in the downstream petroleum industry, it was imperative that effective steps were taken to ensure that domestic refining of petroleum products was not adversely affected by dumping, countervailing or importation.

He said that should be in line with the government’s Made-in-Ghana campaign and appealed to the minister for support to create an effective safeguard measure for the domestic petroleum refining industry through the Ghana International Trade Commission (Safeguards Measures) Regulations 2020. 

via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/sentuo-oil-refinery-to-start-test-run-august.html

World Chocolate Day Commemorated (Daily Graphic, Saturday, July 8, 2023 Page 17)

 

This year’s World Chocolate Day has been commemorated in Tema with a call on parents to allow children to consume more chocolate and cocoa-based products due to its health benefits.

The Head of Sales and Marketing at Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) Limited, Nana Agyemang Ansong, said children could derive nutritional and health benefits for their wellness from the regular intake of chocolate.

He made the call when the management of the CPC interacted with learners at Oninku Drive and Mante Din Basic schools in Tema in the Greater Accra Region yesterday, as part of activities to commemorate the day.

Both learners and teachers in the schools sampled one of the flagship products of the company, the Golden Tree Alltime Instant Drinking Chocolate.

The day which is celebrated on July 7 each year was started in 2009 to commemorate the introduction of chocolate to Europe in 1550.

 

Importance

Mr Ansong said that the activities were ways to inculcate the consumption of chocolate and cocoa-based products among children, and to also educate them on its health benefits.

He said the country's position as the world's second largest cocoa producer after Côte d'Ivoire was significant and that more efforts must be made to increase the consumption of the product.

“We targeted the children because cocoa is very good for the cognitive development of the child and we thought we should catch them young so that we can increase the consumption of chocolate products from an early age for its health benefits,” Mr Ansong added.He said chocolate consumption in the country was estimated at only 0.6 kg per person per year, and that his outfit was working towards reaching a target of 1kg per person per year.

Benefits

A Marketing Research Officer at CPC, Maxwell Aboagye, also said that chocolate consumption offered some benefits because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and therefore, encouraged the public to consume more cocoa products, especially the locally manufactured chocolate.

 

via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/world-chocolate-day-commemorated.html

NHIA pays GH¢367m to 4,500 facilities(Daily Graphic, Thursday, July 6, 2023 Page 20)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Within the last 30 days, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has paid GH¢367 million to more than 4,500 credentialed facilities across the country to cover claims of up to December 2022.

The authority is expected to make further payments in the next few weeks to cover January to March 2023 claims to bring the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) back to a 90-day arrears window.

The Chief Executive of the NHIA, Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye, disclosed this in Tema last Tuesday during the official handover of a credentialing certificate to the International Maritime Hospital (IMaH) as a service provider of the scheme.

The intervention, he explained, meant that the authority technically owed providers only two months of claims for February and March 2023, adding that the NHIS was more resilient today and committed to doing even better

The credentialing process was to ensure that IMaH, which hitherto did not accept the NHIS system, provides basic quality health services to subscribers of the scheme.

Reimbursement

Dr Okoe-Boye said for the first time in several years, the government had released funds more rapidly to the NHIA, making it possible to pay on average GH¢150 million to GH¢200 million monthly as claims reimbursement to healthcare providers.

He said currently, 86 per cent of claims were submitted and vetted electronically as compared to nearly two years ago when claims were 80 per cent manually vetted.

That, he explained, had increased the turnaround time for vetting and reduced wastage and leakages, resulting in the authority’s ability to reimburse claims more promptly.

Dr Okoe-Boye said the NHIA had been responsive in adjusting its service tariffs paid to providers within the past year upwards, adding that the latest increment was in February this year when tariffs for medicines and services covered by the scheme were increased by 50 per cent for medicines in the framework contracting agreement plus an additional 30 per cent marginal increase.

He said non-framework medicines were reviewed upward by 20 per cent, while service tariffs across the board were increased by 10 per cent.

Dr Okoe-Boye said the authority had begun the consultative process to ensure that tariffs corresponded with market price movements going forward, stressing that “while we are working hard to deliver a robust NHIS, it is unfortunate that some health providers blatantly charge NHIS members some out-of-pocket illegal fees, making the scheme unattractive”.

He said the authority had set up a decentralised national committee against such illegal charges.

Membership

Dr Okoe-Boye said the current NHIS membership stood at around 17.2 million active members, representing about 55 per cent of Ghana’s population, and indicated that the authority was striving hard to cover at least 80 per cent of the population to attain universal health coverage (UHC) by 2030.

“Achieving UHC for Ghana also means that the NHIA must do well to expand geographical access to health care and work towards eradicating out-of-pocket payment at health facilities for its insured members,” he said.

While welcoming the IMaH into the NHIA family of service providers, Dr Okoe-Boye expressed the hope that the hospital would become a model facility that would uphold the tenets of health insurance and provide the quality of care desired by patients.

Appreciation

The Chief Executive Officer of IMaH, Dr Akwasi Afriyie Achampong, said the facility, a subsidiary of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), was a 130-bed ultramodern tertiary hospital with state-of-the art medical facilities.He said the partnership with the NHIA further emboldened the hospital to provide top quality health care for the citizenry.

Community service

The Director of Port for Keta Port Development, Dr Alexander Yaw Adusei, who represented the Director General of GPHA, Michael Achagwe Luguje, said the GPHA was optimistic that the addition of national health insurance services at IMaH would help the facility to serve more people in the community.

The Board Chairperson of IMaH, Professor Gladys Amponsah, called for closer collaboration with the NHIA to ensure the smooth operations of the NHIS programme in the facility.

 

via:  https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/nhia-pays-gh-367m-to-4-500-facilities.html

Tema Boys Club donates to Juvenile Correctional Centre (Junior Graphic, Wednesday, July 5, 2023 Page 4)

 

Tap into experiences, expertise of retire staff (Daily Graphic, Saturday, July 1, 2023 Page 17)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staff of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) have been urged to tap into the experiences and expertise of retired professionals to help improve on the fortunes of the establishment.

A former CEO of GNPC, Tsatsu Tsikata, who gave the advice said retired staff of the corporation had the required expertise to help improve on its operations, and that management did not need to rely on foreign consultants to turn things around.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the retired staff association (GReSA) of GNPC in Tema.

Gratitude

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GNPC, Opoku-Ahweneeh Danquah, expressed gratitude to the former chief executives and retired staff of the organisation who he said had contributed in diverse ways to the establishment and growth of the organisation, including the discovery of hydrocarbons which had put the nation on the world map of oil-producing countries.

Mr Danquah also expressed the hope that the management would continue to count on them for support in the growth of the organisation.

He re-emphasised the need to make use of the vast experience of the retired staff, adding that “Sonatrach in Algeria uses retired staff as consultants to build the capacity of its existingemployees and those of other emerging oil countries at its training institute (Sonatrach AIP) considered by African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO) as the best on the continent”.

Objectives 

The President of GReSA, Lawrence Kwaw Sam, said among the aims of the association was to seek the welfare of members and also bring their varied experiences to bear on the oil and gas industry.

He said the association had arguably some of the greatest pool of knowledge and expertise which could be utilised to help for the accelerated development of the industry and the nation in general.

Mr Sam said the association had initiated processes to register a consultancy firm to avail their experiences and expertise to industry players.

The Board Chair of the GNPC, Freddie Blay, said the nation would continue to explore hydrocarbon resources to ensure citizens benefited from it.

Members

Other members of the executive body of GReSA include K.B. Amissah-Arthur, vice-president; Prosper Ahiakonu, financial secretary; Edward Ababio, organiser; Mame Yaa Edusei, executive officer; Edward Ossom, executive officer; Nana Osei Bonsu, executive officer, petrol business, and Ben Asante, executive officer, petro technical.

via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/ghana-news-tap-into-experiences-expertise-of-retired-staff-tsatsu-tsikata-urges-gnpc.html

Petroleum, gas tanker drivers suspend strike( Daily Graphic, Friday, June 30, 2023. Back Page)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta, has given the assurance that the government will soon fix all potholes on the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to Kpone road to make it motorable.

He said the government was committed to ensuring that all roads in the country became motorable.

He conceded that although there was a contractor on the road, there had been some delays in fixing the deplorable road.

Mr Amoako-Atta said as a remedial measure, the contractor, Joshob Construction Ltd, had been directed to grade the bad portions of the road and compact it to make it motorable while efforts were made to permanently reconstruct the road.

The Minister gave the assurance Thursday [June 29, 2023] when he toured the road in the wake of the sit down strike declared by the Petroleum and Gas Tanker Drivers Union over the deteriorated state of the road.

Accompanying the minister  were the Chief Director of the Ministry of Roads and Highways, Dr Abass Awulu, the Chief Executive at Ghana Highways Authority, Christian Nti, the Director of the Department of Urban Roads, James Amoo-Gottfried, the Director of Feeder Roads, K. N. Akosah- Koduah, and the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for  Kpone-Katamanso, Samuel Okoe Amanquah.

Suspension of strike 

Following the assurance from the minister and after over three hours of closed door meeting with the leadership of the Ghana National Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union, the sit down strike was suspended.

The Vice Chairman of the union, Sunday Alabi, at a press briefing in Tema said after meeting with the ministers of Roads and Highways and Transport, and in further consultation with their members, the union had decided to call off the strike by the midnight of Thursday, based on some conditions.

He said firstly, the access roads to the depots in Kumasi, Takoradi and Buipe were to be improved, adding that works on those access roads would commence by Friday, June 30, 2023.

Secondly, a seven member committee comprising three members from the Ministry of Roads and Highways, and four members from the union had been set up to monitor progress of works in Tema, Kumasi, Takoradi and Buipe.

He said although works were currently ongoing on the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) Road, the contractor on the road should increase his equipment holding on the road to ensure that riding quality was improved within three weeks.

The Chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union, George Teye Nyaunu, expressed the hope that the Ministry of Roads and Highways as well as Transport would fulfil the conditions agreed with the drivers in order to ensure industrial harmony.

The members of the Ghana National Petroleum Tanker Drivers and the Gas Drivers Unions last Tuesday issued an ultimatum to the government on the deplorable state of the Tema Oil Refinery to Kpone road as well as the roads leading to the depots in Takoradi, Buipe and Kumasi, following what they described as the painful experiences of their members who load their products from the petroleum enclaves

They said they had withdrawn their services until the deplorable roads leading to those depots were rehabilitated. 

Petition

Mr Nyaunu in an earlier interview indicated that in 2017, the union petitioned the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who instructed the Minister of Roads and Highways to rehabilitate the roads in the enclave.

In August 2020, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, undertook a sodcutting ceremony for the reconstruction of the 7.2 kilometre stretch from the Valco Roundabout Area to the Kpone link road.

The project was designed to expand the existing single carriageway to a dual carriageway with improved drainage systems.  

The first two kilometres within the heavy industrial zone was to have a concrete surface, while the remaining five would be asphaltic.

Per the timelines, construction works were expected to be completed within a 24-month period but Mr Nyaunu said construction works had stalled, while the already deplorable road had further deteriorated.

via : https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/petroleum-gas-tanker-drivers-suspend-strike.html

Petroleum, gas tanker drivers declare strike over poor roads( Daily Graphic, June 27, 2023. Back Page)

 

Petroleum Tanker Drivers under the Ghana National Petroleum Tanker Drivers and Petroleum Gas Drivers Union have declared a sit-down strike over the deplorable condition of the Tema Oil Refinery to Kpone road in the Greater Accra Region.

The members of the union, who load their products from petroleum enclaves in Takoradi, Kumasi and Buipe, have withdrawn their services until the deplorable roads leading to those depots are rehabilitated.

The Chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Tanker Drivers union, George Teye Nyaunu, who declared the industrial action yesterday, told journalists that they were taking the action for their safety.

He explained that since the products they carried were highly immflammable products, it was not safe for them in case of an accident and emphasised that the strike would be in force until the authorities showed more commitment to fix the problem.

“The strike will continue until the authorities commit themselves firmly to a timeline for repairing the roads in the petroleum enclaves,” the chairman of the tankers drivers union stressed.

Some of the roads the union is complaining about include the one leading to the Fuel Trade company Ltd, the Tema Oil Refinery, Quantum Petroleum, Chase Petroleum and other petroleum and gas installations in the Kpone and Tema enclave, which it has described as a “serious risk to both health and safety due to the huge potholes.”

Petition, project

Mr Nyaunu said in 2017, the union petitioned the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who instructed the Minister of Roads and Highways to rehabilitate the roads in the enclave.

In August 2020, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, undertook a sod-cutting ceremony for the reconstruction of the 7.2 kilometre stretch from the Valco Roundabout Area to the Kpone link road.

The project was designed to expand the existing single carriageway to a dual carriageway with improved drainage systems.  

The first two kilometres within the heavy industrial zone was to have a concrete surface, while the remaining five would be asphaltic.

Per the timelines, construction works were expected to be completed within a 24-month period, but Mr Nyaunu said construction works had stalled, while the already deplorable road had further deteriorated.

He indicated that the recent rains had caused more destruction to the roads, making them very difficult for motorists to use.

He, therefore, called on the Minister of Roads and Highways to ensure that the road is fixed.

Impact

The chairman of the Gas Tanker Drivers Association, Shafiu Mohammed, said the bad roads were not only a danger to the tanker drivers and other road users but also took a toll on the health of drivers.

He said calls by the executive of petroleum unions had fallen on the deaf ears of the government as the roads in the petroleum and gas enclave continued to deteriorate not only in Tema, but Takoradi, Kumasi and Buipe.

Other drivers

Apart from the petroleum and gas tanker drivers, some commercial and private vehicle owners, as well as drivers of companies in the industrial area expressed concern about the state of the road.

Some road users, mostly taxi and heavy-duty vehicle drivers, who spoke to the Daily Graphic, complained that the nature of the road posed a great danger to users and businesses on the stretch.

"We are not asking for too much. the government should just ensure that roads are graded and compacted to ease movement.

The state of the road poses a great danger to the BVRs we drive,’’ one of the drivers said.

via: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/petroleum-gas-tanker-drivers-declare-strike-over-poor-roads.html