The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Jomoro, Mrs. Louisa Iris Arde, has noted that the Petroleum Hub Project (PHP) was crucial to Ghana’s industrialisation drive that can create jobs for the youth in the Nzema enclave, in particular, and the country as a whole.

She, therefore, urged the Board of Governors of the Petroleum Development Hub Corporation (PDHC), chaired by AwulaeAnnorAdjaye III, Omanhene of Western Nzema Traditional Council, to ensure the successful execution of the project.

Mrs. Arde, who made the call at a stakeholder engagement meeting on the PHP, at Half-Assini in the Jomoro Municipality of the Western Region, said job creation was high on the government’s agenda.

The meeting was attended by the board members, chiefs, queen mothers, officials from the Jomoro Municipal Assembly, Assembly Members, journalists, the Environmental Protection Agency personnel, landowners, farmers and other stakeholders.

Mrs. Arde asked the board to advise and give effective directives towards the development of the integrated petrochemical industry in the country, saying that PHP would be worth about $60bn when fully operational.

The project, she noted, would also facilitate the manufacturing of petroleum products such as plastics, fertilisers, and industrial chemicals.

AwulaeAnnorAdjaye III said the PHDC was yet to start work, and asked stakeholders to support the board to ensure a smooth take-off of the project.

He gave the promise that the board would take steps to protect the environment.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the PHDC, Mr Charles Owusu, said the PHDC had identified the building of refineries to refine crude oil.

He indicated that a refinery can produce 300,000 barrels per day, adding that five petrochemical companies would be built around the hub with a storage capacity of 10 million metric tonnes and refinery capacity of eight million metric tonnes with jetties to discharge the refineries to its destination.

Mr Owusu said it was the vision of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to establish an FPSO in Jomoro to cater for the trans-shipment of oil to the West African sub-region.

The CEO said the construction of a naval base was ongoing at Ezinlibo, adding that waste management and water treatment plants, as well as residential accommodation, would be built around the hub.

Mr Owusu said schools would be established in the area, to train students in the required manpower so that they could be employed to work at the hub, which was expected to create 780,000 jobs, including masons, welders, and carpenters.

On the implementation project, Mr Owusu said phase one would take four years with $4bn accruing from the first phase. – GNA