By Bright Ntramah
President Akufo-Addo has inaugurated a 40 million dollar Bitumen processing Plant in Tema, a joint venture between GOIL-PLC, Ghana’s leading petroleum company, and Societe Multinational de Bitume of Cote d’Ivoire.
The plant with a storage capacity of 7500 metric tons will store and process bitumen from SMB in Cote d’Ivoire and refine it into polymer modified bitumen and bitumen emulsions.
President Akufo-Addo urged the Minister for Roads and Highways, to encourage, as part of the specifications for appropriate bitumen products for road construction, the use of high-grade quality bitumen from the GOIlL-SMB plant for major road construction projects across the country. This will ensure that the infrastructure will stand the test of time and contribute to the long-term development of Ghana.
The GOIL-SMB bitumen plant has a total storage capacity of 7,500 metric tons. It will store and process bitumen from Societe Multinational Bitumen of Cote d’Ivoire and refine it into polymer modified bitumen and bitumen emulsions.
These products are critical to road construction, infrastructure development and industrial growth in Ghana and across the region.
This initiative will ensure that Ghana has the capacity to meet the growing demand for high-quality bituminous products, while significantly reducing reliance on foreign imports. The Plant will also open the door for Ghana to become exporters of bitumen, offering a quality product to countries within the West Africa region and beyond.
The Managing Director of GOIL, Kwame Osei Prempeh proposed legislation that will allow road constructors to source their Bitumen locally.
President Akufo-Addo who inaugurated the facility in Tema said it will complement the government’s efforts in road construction. He noted that the plant will produce the volumes of polymer-modified bitumen and other bituminous products necessary to meet the demands of the infrastructure sector. Polymer-modified bitumen offers superior durability and performance, particularly under extreme weather conditions.
President Akufo-Addo said Ghana’s ability to produce these modified bituminous products domestically means that it will reduce construction costs and also improve the quality and longevity of roads. “Since 2017, we have embarked on the most extensive road construction program in Ghana’s history, with over 12,000 kilometers of roads built,” he said. “This facility will complement the government’s efforts, producing the necessary volumes of polymer-modified bitumen and bitumen emulsions to meet the growing demands of our infrastructure sector.”
In addition, bitumen emulsions produced in Ghana will offer environmentally friendly and cost-effective solutions for a range of construction activities, further supporting quest for sustainable development. He said Government remains committed to providing an enabling environment for industrial ventures such as the Bitumen Plant President Akufo-Addo expressed optimism about the future of industrial partnerships between Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.
He emphasized that the commissioning of the bitumen plant is just the beginning, with numerous opportunities for collaboration and innovation on the horizon. “This plant strengthens the foundation upon which we are building a future of self-reliance and regional integration,” the President said. “Together, we will continue to forge partnerships that benefit our peoples and promote sustainable development.”
The GOIL/SMB Bitumen Plant is a clear example of how strategic partnerships and regional cooperation can drive industrialization and create economic opportunities, making Ghana a leader in road construction and infrastructure development in West Africa.
The Minister of State at the Energy Ministry, Herbert Krapa said the Bitumen produced in Ghana will be of high quality in accordance with international specifications.
The Prine Minister for Cote d’Ivoire, Robert Beugré Mambé and other Government officials from Cote d’Ivoire were present at the ceremony.
