The Petroleum Hub Project Ghana has entered a new phase of stakeholder engagement, with the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation (PHDC) pledging deeper collaboration with civil society to ensure transparency, accountability and long-term sustainability.
Delivering opening remarks at a Strategic Stakeholder Engagement session in Accra, Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation, Toni Aubynn, stressed that no major national infrastructure project can succeed without public trust and inclusive dialogue.
“We hold the view that no major national infrastructure project can succeed without public trust, transparency, and continuous engagement with the people it is meant to serve.” - PHDC CEO Dr. Toni Aubynn
Dr. Aubynn described the meeting as a deliberate effort to build a culture of openness and co-creation.
Beyond Infrastructure: Building Trust and Sustainability
Dr. Aubynn noted that the Petroleum Hub, located in Jomoro, is one of Ghana’s most ambitious industrial undertakings.
The project is designed to position Ghana as an energy security corridor through the development of refineries, storage facilities, petrochemical plants and port infrastructure.
Beyond stabilising petroleum prices, the initiative is expected to create jobs, attract foreign investment and expand the country’s industrial base.
However, he cautioned that ambition alone would not guarantee success.
“Projects do not fail because of engineering or financing alone. They fail when communities are not heard and when social and environmental concerns are treated as secondary issues.” - PHDC CEO Dr. Toni Aubynn
The engagement outlined two primary objectives: to deepen understanding of PHDC’s mandate and project structure, and to gather feedback from civil society organisations (CSOs) to inform implementation strategies.
Dr. Aubynn emphasised that PHDC views CSOs not as adversaries but as “partners in accountability and sustainable development.”
He acknowledged concerns around land use, environmental protection, governance transparency and socio-economic impacts, affirming that these issues are central to the project’s viability.
With global energy investments increasingly shaped by environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards, PHDC pledged to align the Petroleum Hub’s development with international best practices.
“Trust is not built through exclusion. It is built through inclusion and participatory dialogue,” he concluded, urging stakeholders to challenge assumptions and hold the corporation to high standards as the project advances.
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