The project is a partnership between the Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL) and Cote d’Ivoire’s Societe Multi-national de Butimin (SMB).
The plant is estimated to cost USD 35 million and is expected to be one of West Africa’s biggest bitumen plants.
Ghana’s Ministry of Roads and Highways intends to construct and rehabilitate several kilometres of urban roads with polymer-modified bitumen which has been proven to extend the lifespan of asphalted roads due to its resistance to high temperatures of about 80 to 90 Decree Celsius.
Recent figures from the Ghana Highways Authority (GHA) show that Ghana will require about 4000 metric tonnes of bitumen for the next four years.
The plant is being put up to lower the cost of bitumen, meet the needed supply and eventually take over the industry which has been dominated by multinational in Ghana.
Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, 27 June 2019, Energy Minister John Peter Amewu said the plant will provide job opportunities to soak up the teeming unemployed youth.
He reiterated the government's aim to make Ghana a shining example in infrastructure development.
“Over the next four years, I was told we will require in excess of 4000 metric tonnes of this product to complete our roads. What this means is that employment will be created for the teeming youth across the country.
“The demand for bitumen-paved roads in Ghana keeps growing and the Ministry of Roads and Highways intends to rehabilitate and construct several thousands of kilometres of urban roads across the country”.
M Amewu said the construction of the plant in Ghana, “is a very bold step” aimed at “improving the lifespan of our roads”.
“Our promise and our concern is that Ghana will become a shining example in infrastructure development”, he said.
The Acting Group Chairman and Managing Director of GOIL, Mr Kwame Osei-Prempeh said the construction of a bitumen plant in Ghana means Ghanaians will not have to import the product.
“We have worked so far and decided that it is time to establish a depot here with a plant which will produce PMB, what we call the asphalt in our local parlance here. We’ve set up a technical committee and they’ve worked so hard and now we’ve awarded the contract to Osam, a contract worth about USD35 million, and we believe that in two years’ time, we’ll be able to have a bitumen depot and a PMB plant in Ghana so that Ghanaians will not need to import this product from outside”, Mr Osei-Prempeh said.
Source: Ghana/ClassFMonline.com/91.3FM
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