• Ghana’s Tema Oil Refinery cannot process crude from the Jubilee oil field due to technical limits.
• The country exports part of its crude to foreign refineries and imports refined products.
• Authorities say upgrades are under review to enable the refinery to handle domestic crude.

Ghana’s ability to refine its own oil has come under scrutiny as officials confirm that the state-owned Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) cannot process crude from the country’s Jubilee field because of technical constraints.

According to local media reports on March 9, the Ministry of Energy says the refinery’s current configuration does not allow it to handle the characteristics of the Jubilee crude.

Yussif Sulemana, technical adviser at the Ministry of Energy, told lawmakers that the facility would need additional equipment to meet fuel quality standards. These upgrades include a diesel hydrotreater to reduce sulfur levels and an isomerization unit to increase octane levels.

Gasoline sold in Ghana must reach an octane rating of 91 RON, the ministry said. TOR’s existing facilities cannot meet that requirement without additional processing units. Without them, the refinery cannot produce fuel that complies with domestic market standards.

As a result, part of the crude produced in Ghana is exported to foreign refineries capable of processing it. The country then imports crude oil or refined petroleum products compatible with its refining infrastructure. The Ministry of Energy said such arrangements are common in the global oil industry when local refineries are not suited to the type of crude produced.

Ghanaian authorities say they are examining options to modernize the country’s refining infrastructure. The government is considering installing the missing processing units so that TOR can refine crude produced in Ghana’s oil fields.

The Tema Oil Refinery resumed refining operations in late December 2025 after several years of shutdown. For now, however, the facility is operating at about 28,000 barrels per day, well below its historical nameplate capacity of about 45,000 barrels per day, according to the refinery’s management.

Abdel-Latif Boureima