Els: MBN360
The Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation, Tony Aubynn, has revealed that construction of the highly anticipated Ghana Petroleum Hub project could commence before the end of the year, provided that ongoing land acquisition processes are successfully concluded by mid-2026.
According to Dr. Aubynn, securing the land required for the project remains the most significant hurdle delaying the commencement of construction works. However, he expressed optimism that the process is progressing steadily and could be finalized within the next few months.
The PHDC CEO disclosed this during a sideline interview with the media following a strategic engagement between the corporation and several Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), where stakeholders reviewed the current status of the project and discussed outstanding challenges.
“We have given ourselves internally, and of course what we do depends on other people, but in our dream, we think that by June we should have gone around the issue of land acquisition.
“We are hoping that by the end of the year, we would have started something. We don’t want to go to 2027.”Dr. Toni Aubynn, Chief Executive Officer of the PHDC
Dr. Aubynn clarified that while initial construction activities may begin this year, the full development of the petroleum hub will take significantly longer.
ADVERTISEMENT
“This is not a project that will be completed in 2026 or 2027. It’s a ten-year project or so,” he explained, underscoring the scale and complexity of the initiative.
Mid-Year Target for Land Resolution
Dr. Aubynn explained that resolving land acquisition issues would pave the way for investors to begin physical development of the massive downstream energy infrastructure initiative.
“So we are working on the land. We also have to train people, prepare them for the investors who will come,” he said, emphasizing that land access and workforce readiness are currently the corporation’s primary priorities.
Dr. Aubynn indicated that the corporation has internally set a target to address the land acquisition issue by the middle of the year. Achieving this milestone, he said, would allow preparatory construction activities to begin before the end of 2026.
He acknowledged that the timeline is partly dependent on external stakeholders involved in the acquisition process, but noted that PHDC remains committed to accelerating progress.
Despite the delays caused by land acquisition, the PHDC chief said investor appetite for the project remains strong, with several companies expressing readiness to move forward once the land becomes available.
According to him, recent developments in global energy markets have even heightened investor interest in the hub’s infrastructure components.
Read also:
- Ghana is celebrating its 69th Independence Day today, March 6, 2026, marking 69 years since the country gained independence from British colonial rule in 1957.
- Ghana Petroleum Hub Construction Expected to Begin 2026
- 52 Students Honoured at President’s Independence Day Awards
- Investors Drive GSE Turnover Surge to Over GH¢124 Million, MTN Ghana and StanChart Lead Historic Trading Day
- Government Set to Recruit Thousands of New Teachers to Boost Education Sector
“We don’t have any lack of investors,” Dr. Aubynn stated, revealing that an investor recently contacted the corporation with interest in beginning port infrastructure and petroleum storage facilities development.
“Because of what is happening in the Middle East, one of the investors called and said they want to move in to start with the port infrastructure development and tank farms.”Dr. Toni Aubynn, Chief Executive Officer of the PHDC
The CEO explained that investors see strategic opportunities in developing storage and logistics facilities capable of supporting regional petroleum trade.
According to him, the key limitation at the moment is not investor interest but rather the readiness of the project site. “So there is no shortage of interested investors. What is short of is our readiness to admit them on the land,” he said.
Preparing Ghana’s Workforce
In addition to resolving land acquisition issues, the corporation is also prioritizing capacity building to ensure that Ghanaian professionals are adequately prepared to participate in the project’s development.
Dr. Aubynn said the PHDC is actively exploring training initiatives aimed at equipping local workers with the necessary technical and operational skills required by investors.
This approach, he explained, is intended to ensure that the economic benefits of the project are widely shared and that Ghana builds the expertise required to support large-scale petroleum and petrochemical operations.
By investing in human capital development ahead of construction, the corporation hopes to position local professionals to take advantage of emerging employment opportunities once the project enters its active development phase.
The Ghana Petroleum Hub is a central component of the country’s long-term strategy to transform itself into a major petroleum processing and logistics centre in West Africa.
The ambitious project is expected to include refineries, petrochemical plants, storage facilities, pipelines and export infrastructure designed to serve both domestic and regional energy markets.
Once fully operational, the hub is anticipated to significantly expand Ghana’s downstream petroleum capacity, reduce reliance on imported refined products and strengthen the country’s position within the regional energy value chain.
Beyond its industrial potential, the initiative is also expected to attract substantial foreign direct investment and generate thousands of jobs across construction, engineering, logistics and supporting industries.
For government and industry stakeholders, the success of the Ghana Petroleum Hub could mark a major turning point in the country’s efforts to deepen value addition in the petroleum sector.
As Dr. Aubynn emphasized, resolving the land acquisition challenge remains the final major step required to unlock the next phase of the project’s development.
If the mid-year target is achieved, Ghana could soon witness the first visible signs of progress on one of its most ambitious energy infrastructure projects to date.
