Government plans to revive TOR laboratories to support revenue generation - Herbert Krapa

The Minister of State at the Ministry of Energy, Herbert Krapa, has revealed the government's plan to immediately revive the laboratories of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) in order to support its revenue generation activities.

He made this announcement when he spoke to journalists on July 23 during a working visit to TOR to acquaint himself with the company's operations in his first official visit since assuming the role recently.

He indicated the need for all hands to get on board with revamping TOR operations.

"TOR is a strategic national asset and urgently needs a strategic partner to get back on its feet," he noted.

Regarding the refinery's laboratories, the Minister of State noted that when properly revamped and tooled up, they could provide cutting-edge, innovative services that would not only improve its reputation but also prove to be a major financial boost to its revenues.

"The government is giving this its utmost urgent attention," Krapa stressed.

The Minister of State was accompanied by senior officials from the Ministry of Energy and the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), regulators of the petroleum downstream sector.

He met with the Managing Director of TOR, Kofi Mocumbi Tagoe, and his management team to receive briefings on the company's situation and to discuss the government's perspective ahead of an extensive tour of its facilities, including laboratories.

Founded on December 12, 1960, as the Ghanaian Italian Petroleum (GHAIP) Company, Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) stands as Ghana's premier crude oil processing facility. Originally Italian-owned, the government became the sole shareholder in April 1977, prompting a name change to TOR in 1991.

MA/NOQ