The Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Edmond Kombat, has blamed frequent leadership changes under the previous Akufo-Addo administration for the refinery’s failure to overcome its operational challenges.

According to him, TOR had six managing directors and an interim management committee within eight years, making it difficult for successive management teams to implement long-term plans to revive the refinery.

Speaking in an interview on Channel One TV, Kombat said the frequent changes created leadership instability at the state-owned refinery, which was not refining crude oil during the period.

“In eight years, they had six managing directors, including an interim management committee. And an IMC of three personnel. So let’s say roughly seven MDs. You see that the turnover was very short,” he said.

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“They were not refining, and I think they had an instability in leadership,” he added.

He explained that reviving TOR required stable leadership, consistent planning and sufficient time for management to address its financial and operational challenges.

Beyond the leadership changes, Kombat revealed that the refinery had accumulated several years of unaudited financial statements, making it difficult for management to establish its true financial position.

“I think they didn’t really have a lot of time to make decisions. And then unaudited accounts just piled up. It was a management account, not an independently audited account,” he said.

He disclosed that the current management, working with the Ghana Audit Service, had completed seven years of outstanding audits. The refinery had also held an annual general meeting to consider its financial statements covering the period from 2017 to 2025.

Kombat further claimed that some officials at the Ministry of Energy under the previous administration had questioned whether TOR was worth retaining as a refinery.

According to him, discussions were held about converting the facility into a fuel storage depot or using it for other purposes.

However, he maintained that TOR remains an important national asset, with the capacity to store one million metric tonnes of petroleum products and process 45,000 barrels of crude oil per stream day.

He argued that the refinery's infrastructure and processing capacity provide a strong foundation for its recovery and continued contribution to Ghana's petroleum industry.

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Kombat said the current management was focused on sustaining the refinery's recovery and ensuring that future leadership builds on the progress made, rather than allowing frequent management changes to undermine its operations.

DR/MA

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