The Deputy Minister for Transport, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, welcomed the signing of the Phase II agreement for Ghana’s US$28 billion Petroleum Hub Project, calling it a major opportunity to create jobs and stimulate local economic growth.
The Jomoro MP joined the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, the Western Regional Minister, the leadership and board of the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation (PHDC), and traditional authorities from Jomoro and the wider Nzema area for the signing ceremony.
The agreement, signed between PHDC and an international consortium led by Global Sphere, is expected to advance development of Lot Two of the strategic national project under a Build-Operate partnership.
The Petroleum Hub Project supports Ghana’s ambition to strengthen its position in the global petroleum and energy industry through increased investment, industrial expansion, and job creation.
For Jomoro, the project presents significant prospects for economic transformation, with the potential to expand employment opportunities, stimulate business activities and accelerate infrastructure development within the constituency and the wider Western Region.
Madam Affo-Toffey stressed the need for the anticipated investment to translate into tangible benefits for residents, particularly youth, local entrepreneurs, and communities affected by the project.
She noted that the development could give young people opportunities to secure employment, gain technical and professional skills, start businesses, and join the petroleum industry’s growing value chain.
The Jomoro MP also underscored the importance of positioning local businesses to benefit from contracts and commercial opportunities in areas such as construction, logistics, the supply of goods and services, technical support and other related activities.
According to her, residents must not be left on the margins of the anticipated economic transformation but should be equipped to participate meaningfully in the project’s development and operations.
She maintained that the success of the Petroleum Hub should not be measured solely by the scale of investment it attracts, but also by its impact on livelihoods, household incomes, local enterprise development and the long-term economic prospects of communities in Jomoro.
The Deputy Transport Minister further highlighted the importance of targeted skills development and technical training to prepare young people for employment opportunities that may emerge as the project progresses.
She called for practical measures to strengthen local participation in the emerging industrial value chain, ensuring that the benefits of the investment extend beyond the project’s immediate operations.
The signing of the Phase II agreement marks another milestone in the development of the Petroleum Hub, with stakeholders expecting the partnership to move the next phase of the project forward.
As implementation progresses, effective collaboration among government institutions, project authorities, traditional leaders, businesses and host communities will be crucial to realising the anticipated economic and social benefits.
Affo-Toffey reaffirmed her commitment to working with relevant stakeholders to advance the interests of the people of Jomoro and ensure that the constituency is strategically positioned to benefit from employment, entrepreneurship, technical training and infrastructure development opportunities.
Her position underscores the importance of ensuring that major national investments contribute directly to local economic growth and improvements in the living conditions of the people they are expected to serve.