The Deputy Minister of En­ergy and Green Transition, Mr Richard Gyan-Mensah, has called for a collective effort among regulatory and government agencies to drive the Petroleum Hub project.According to him, the success of the Petroleum Hub was not the responsibility of one institution but a collective enterprise that requires commitment, creativity, and cooper­ation of all stakeholders."Let me emphatically state that the success of the Petroleum Hub is not the responsibility of one insti­tution but a collective enterprise.

It will require commitment, creativity and above all, cooperation of all stakeholders," he stated.Mr Gyan-Mensah who made the call at the first-ever Inter-Agency Dialogue held in Accra on Wednes­day, urged stakeholders to promote a collective sense of national responsibility that would lead to better collaboration, innovation and success of the project.The Dialogue organised by the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation (PHDC) was on the theme; "Building the energy hub of choice: Unlocking synergies for a globally competitive petroleum and petrochemical hub.""Let us work together to remove the redundancies and simplify our processes and create an enabling en­vironment that will make Ghana the investment destination of choice for the petroleum and petrochemical in­dustry in West Africa," the Deputy Minister emphasised.He underscored the strategic importance of the Petroleum Hub in driving the country's energy transformation, adding that the Pe­troleum Hub project was anchored within the framework of industrial transformation to enhance energy security and represents a strategic project in Ghana's recent petroleum development history.Mr Gyan-Mensah highlighted the country's unique geographical advantage, stable political environ­ment, and emerging petroleum re­sources as key enablers of a globally competitive energy hub.Pledging the ministry's commit­ment to the project, he said the ulti­mate goal was to create an enabling environment to make Ghana an investment destination of choice for the petroleum and petrochemical industry in West Africa.The Chief Executive Officer of PHDC, Dr Toni Aubynn, said the success of the hub relied on collaborative efforts between public and private institutions, rather than individual actions.The noted that PHDC was estab­lished by an Act of Parliament in 2022 to promote and facilitate the development of Africa's first inte­grated petroleum and petrochemical hub in the country."We envision a hub that is more than just a collection of refineries, tank farms, pipelines, and ports.

We envision a hub that becomes the beating heart of energy transforma­tion in West Africa, a hub that cre­ates jobs, drives innovation, builds local capacity, and strengthens Ghana's economic sovereignty, but we cannot build this vision alone, we need all stakeholders on board," he underscored.Dr Aubynn emphasised that securing the estimated $60 billion investment needed for the hub required a united front.Similarly, Minister of Trade and Industry, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Ad­jare, described the project as a critical pillar in Ghana's broader trade strategy, adding that it had the potential to position the country as a regional trading powerhouse.The forum which brought together participants including CEOs from Maritime Port Author­ity (MPA), Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST), and Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), had a panel session featuring heads of the Na­tional Petroleum Authority (NPA), Environmental Protection Agen­cy (EPA), Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA), and Ghana Port and Harbour Authority (GPHA) which reaffirmed a joint commitment to improving the reg­ulatory environment for petroleum and petrochemical investments. BY CECILIA YADA LAGBA