The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Godwin Kudzo Tameklo (Esq.), has challenged Sentuo Oil Refinery to deepen local content participation, even as he praised the company for its growing contribution to Ghana’s downstream petroleum sector.
The NPA boss made this appeal during a working visit to the Sentuo Refinery on Monday, January 5, 2026, where he led a team from the NPA to engage management and staff as part of efforts to strengthen regulatory collaboration and support industry growth.
Speaking during the visit, the NPA CEO acknowledged Sentuo’s role in supporting fuel supply, improving product availability, and adding value to Ghana’s petroleum value chain.
Godwin Tamaklo described the refinery as an important player whose operations have helped reduce pressure on imports and enhanced competition within the downstream market. However, he stressed that beyond output and infrastructure, the next critical step for Sentuo is to deliberately expand opportunities for Ghanaians and local businesses.
He urged the refinery to increase the use of Ghanaian professionals, contractors, and service providers, noting that local content is not only a regulatory requirement but also a pathway to building a resilient and inclusive petroleum industry.
Deepening local participation helps retain value within the economy, builds local expertise, and ensures that the benefits of industrial investments are felt beyond company balance sheets.
The visit, he explained, forms part of the NPA’s broader engagement strategy, which focuses not only on enforcement but also on dialogue, guidance, and partnership with industry players to strengthen standards, safety, and sustainability.
Sentuo Oil Refinery was conceived from the Chinese government’s Belt and Road Development Strategy for the oil and gas industry in China & Africa. Following extensive research and consultations, the Sentuo Group settled on Shanghai HoTo Engineering’s oil refinery technology.
The “Sentuo Oil Refinery Limited (SORL)” phase 1 was completed in October 2022, with an initial production capacity of 2 million tons per year (tpy). Phase 2 of the Project was completed in January 2024 and will operate at a capacity of 5 million tons per year (tpy).
The Refinery is located at the Tema Industrial Zone in Ghana, in West Africa. In accordance with the then government of Ghana’s “One District One Factory” development policy, as well as the general planning of the Tema Industrial Park area, the project essentially factors in key features such as modern scientific technology and innovation, energy conservation, and environmental protection.
It also includes recycling economics, phase & rolling development, and the scalability of production capacity and quality, which are all key requirements of any new production and/or manufacturing project.
