The Chief Operating Officer of Ghana Oil Company also known as GOIL, Mr. Alex Adzew, who has played an instrumental role in GOIL’s success today says the company is committed to maintaining the number one spot as the leading indigenous oil marketing company.
According to him, he started as a mechanical engineer working on consumer customers in Accra and was later transferred to Takoradi in 1995 where he was attached to the western zone of the company.
Mr. Adzew in an interview with Eye on Port, said he was part of the team that worked on GOIL’s entry into the bunkering industry after being successful with the lubricant and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) products.
He also played an important role in GOIL’s entry into the aviation industry where it is currently chalking some successes.
“We are putting up a 13,500 cubic meter storage facility in Takoradi and of course it is going to be used for bunkering. It is going to be a modern one because we already have one in Sekondi Naval Base that is about 3,800 meter cube which is one of the most modern that we have which is currently supplying product to the exploration companies.
I believe that it is also going to set a unique agenda apart from that when you come to Tema, we are also expanding a facility. We are a major shareholder in Ghana Bunkering Service and we are putting up some tanks there. It is going to be about 2000 meter cube that is going to help us bunker vessels that come to the fishing harbor. All these things are integrated and they are going to help us put GOIL at a certain level,” he said.
GOIL currently has 250 service stations after growing the company and Ebenezer Adzeu revealed that plans are far afoot to expand the number of service stations.
Mr. Alex Adzew said despite the stiff competition in the oil marketing sector, GOIL is blazing the trail because of some strategic decisions.
“It is a very difficult terrain, I acknowledge the fact that there are very serious minded multinationals which we are competing with all their resources but as an indigenous company GOIL has proved that, the Ghanaian given the opportunity and given the resources can also perform just like the multinationals and this is a clear agenda that the board and the management and every staff of GOIL has bought into. We are pursuing it and I believe that we are on the right path,” he said.
He said GOIL will soon be applying new technologies to make it operation more efficient and profitable.
“Another thing that we need to work on is our service stations and the use of technology, in terms of stock taking, in terms of how we ensure that cash flow is improved because we don’t want to leave the money in the pocket of people but we have to efficiently find ways and means by which when we sell that product we collect the money to improve our liquidity so that we will be able to meet our various task, for instance responsibilities towards suppliers, responsibilities towards the Ghana Revenue Authority and others when they are due,” he said.
Mr. Adzew said GOIL will also be entering into the bitumen sector in addition to the bunkering, aviation and LPG industry. This, according to him will reduce the cost of road construction in the country.
“Plans are very far advanced and we are almost ready to cut the sword for the commencement of the construction of the bitumen plant in Ghana, it will be a very modern one and it will be in Tema and we are hoping that it would help the government reduce cost when it comes to the cost of bitumen that is normally used in the road sector,” he noted.
Mr. Adzeu appealed to Ghanaians to continue to purchase GOIL products so as to grow the economy and create jobs for Ghanaians.
“We want to thank the general public because without their support, without their patronage we wouldn’t have gotten this far. They have bought into this idea that when they buy from GOIL, they are buying made in Ghana and the money stays in the country. We use the money to develop the country and everything is retained here, we don’t send money anywhere all the monies that come in we use it for various investment that everybody see around,” he averred.
