President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has directed the Minister for Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso Boakye, to ensure that contractors use bitumen from the African Bitumen Terminal to guarantee high-quality roads that will benefit future generations.
This directive follows a request by the Group CEO and Managing Director of GOIL PLC, Mr. Osei Kwame Prempeh, who called on the government to implement measures to discourage the importation of bitumen for road construction.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony of the African Bitumen Terminal in Tema, Mr. Prempeh emphasized that such measures would enable the country to derive maximum benefit from projects like the African Bitumen Terminal.
According to the GOIL Managing Director, bitumen emulsions are intended to replace the use of cutback bitumen since emulsions are more environmentally friendly. “Let me also take the opportunity to mention that GOIL’s entry into the bitumen market is part of the company’s strategy to widen its portfolio and consolidate gains already made in the fuel business,” he said.
He continued, “Our portfolio includes aviation fuel, marine gas oil, mining diesel, ocean bunkering, upstream exploration, and LPG, among others.”
“Your Excellencies, for the country to derive maximum benefit from projects such as this one, we humbly request that a policy be implemented requiring local contractors to source their bitumen locally from us. Therefore, the practice where contractors are given tax waivers to import bitumen should be discouraged,” Lawyer Osei Kwame Prempeh stated.
The African Bitumen Terminal is a joint venture between GOIL and Société Multinationale de Bitumes (SMB) from Côte d’Ivoire.
President Akufo-Addo commended the collaborative effort between Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire to serve other ECOWAS nations and instructed Minister Asenso to ensure that contractors source their bitumen products from the African Bitumen Terminal.
The President stated, “Polymer Modified Bitumen, as some of you may know, offers superior durability and performance, particularly under the extreme weather conditions we sometimes experience.” He added, “The ability to produce these modified bituminous products domestically means that we will reduce construction costs and also improve the quality and longevity of our roads. In addition, bitumen emulsions produced here will offer environmentally friendly and cost-effective solutions for a range of construction activities, further supporting our quest for sustainable development.”
“I urge the Minister for Roads and Highways, the Member of Parliament for Bantama, Hon. Francis Asenso Boakye, to encourage, as part of the specification for appropriate bitumen products for road construction, the use of high-grade quality bitumen from the GOIL-SMB plant for major road construction across the country,” President Akufo-Addo charged.
He added, “This will ensure that the infrastructure we build today stands the test of time and contributes to the long-term development of Ghana.”
The $40 million plant has the capacity to process 7,500 metric tons per day.
The raw bitumen will be supplied by SMB Côte d’Ivoire, while the plant, located in Tema, will refine it into various bitumen products.
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