The Communications Director of the United Party (UP), Solomon Owusu, has criticised the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government over its handling of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR).
The state-owned oil refinery had been on the verge of collapse for several years and could not be revived despite promises by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to restore it to full operation.
At one point, the former administration proposed a partnership arrangement, a move that attracted criticism and was rejected by several stakeholders, leading to its termination.
However, TOR, under its new management, has announced the resumption of crude oil refining, a development that has attracted public praise.
“This achievement follows the successful completion of major Turnaround Maintenance (TAM) works on the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU), executed within three months, from August 1, 2025 to October 30, 2025. The maintenance works were undertaken in strict compliance with international engineering, safety and operational standards,” TOR said in a statement released on December 22.
It added that following the completion of the TAM, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) conducted comprehensive regulatory inspections and confirmed TOR’s full compliance with all mandatory safety and operational requirements, granting clearance for the resumption of refining activities.
Reacting to the development on Accra-based Joy Prime on Monday, December 29, the UP spokesperson accused the former administration of deliberately orchestrating the collapse of TOR.
“Politicians leveraged TOR to build their businesses. The government at the time didn’t want TOR to thrive, so they supported the Chinese to bring in Sentuo. Their aim was to sell TOR cheaply,” he alleged.
“If a new team has come in and we are beginning to see some improvement, the least we can do is encourage them and give the necessary support to help turn around the fortunes of the place,” he said.
He further questioned how state-owned enterprises continue to record losses despite operating in lucrative sectors.
“How can you sell oil and claim you’ve made losses? You sell electricity and make losses. You sell cocoa and still make losses. Every low-hanging business is recording losses,” he added.