Jerry Kofi Hinson, the Managing Director of Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) has resigned from his position as the TOR MD.
According to the resignation letter submitted to the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Mr Jerry Kofi Hinson is resigning on health grounds.
The letter cited unforeseen health circumstances for his decision. Mr Hinson, who previously served as an Executive Director at Minecom overseeing the oil and gas business unit, took over the TOR role in March 2022.
Mr Hinson expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve his country and pledged to ensure a smooth transition of his duties.
Jerry Kofi Hinson succeeded Francis Boateng and Ato Morrison, who were both dismissed from their positions in June 2021.
Mr Hinson’s resignation follows his efforts, alongside the TOR Board of Directors and Management, to identify a suitable partner for the refinery’s revitalisation. He expressed regret for being unable to continue in his role and thanked the President for the unique opportunity to serve.
Mr Hinson’s resignation is effective following an agreed-upon handover period with the Board of Directors.
With a background in petroleum engineering and technical management, Hinson has an extensive international career spanning over 26 years, including various roles within Shell companies. He holds a BSc. in Physics from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and an MSc. in Computer Science from London.
Newly Built Refinery At Tema
Mr Hinson’s resignation came at the time when a newly built US$1.98 billion oil refinery is scheduled to start operations by the end of this month August 2023. This follows its completion early in July and its readiness to commence operations. It is one of the most anticipated projects in the oil industry in the region this year.
The project is run by Sentuo Group, which has similar investments in the country. The new refinery is expected to have an output of about five million metric tonnes of various petroleum products. These products include diesel, fuel oil, jet fuel and liquefied petroleum gas.
According to K.T. Hammond, Ghana’s Minister of Trade and Industry, the government was in talks with the group to acquire about 500,000 barrels of crude oil to be used by the company during the first production. The minister conducted a tour of the facility, and said he was satisfied with the progress of the project and looks forward to commissioning it when it finally becomes operational.
Initial estimates indicated that the refinery will refine over 4.26 million metric tonnes of products by the end of 2025. Sentuo Group believes that it can produce quality above Euro IV in the refinery. The company expected to be producing high-quality products for the local and export markets that meet all the required standards from the first day the refinery is in production.
Meanwhile, with the fate of the nation’s premier refinery – the Tema Oil Refinery currently unknown, the new MD to take over from the outgoing MD, has a lot of work on his shoulder to do in order to revive the TOR.
