Momentum Builds: PHDC’s Petroleum Hub Project Gains Global Investor Attention

Ghana’s Petroleum Hub Development Corporation (PHDC) is making decisive strides toward unlocking the $60 billion Petroleum Hub Project, with the second half of 2025 ushering in a series of strategic investment engagements designed to propel the initiative from concept to construction.

In the most recent development, PHDC welcomed an investment consortium comprising five firms—IBS Dolphin LTD (Ghana), Gharably Integrated Engineering Co. (GIECO, Egypt), Worldwide Container Services, an International Marketing Firm, and an International Consulting Engineering Firm for Equipment, Management, and Logistics. Convened on July 28, 2025, the meeting signaled strong interest in the Hub's integrated petrochemical and refining infrastructure.

Deputy CEOs Onasis Rosely and Halimatu Sadia Abdulai led the PHDC’s delegation. Mr. Rosely emphasized Ghana’s investor-friendly environment, political stability, and strategic location as compelling reasons for engagement, while Ms. Abdulai outlined the key infrastructure components and sought clarity on the consortium’s delivery capacity.

GIECO’s Managing Director of External Projects, Wagdi Salah, commended PHDC’s organizational efficiency and transparency. With a track record across Egypt, Gabon, and beyond, Salah noted GIECO’s renewed focus on West Africa and confirmed keen interest in participating in the Petroleum Hub buildout. The meeting concluded with agreement to advance discussions toward definitive investment and construction commitments.

This is the second such major consortium engagement in as many months. Earlier in July, PHDC hosted a high-level visit from a China–UAE-Ghana investor group, representing capabilities across upstream operations, refinery engineering, and finance. Those talks, described by insiders as “technically robust and commercially focused,” explored joint ventures and blended finance models, with the PHDC seen as a credible execution partner.

Japanese industrial giant Mitsui & Co. also held exploratory talks with PHDC this year. Known for its involvement in large-scale infrastructure and energy value chains across Asia, Mitsui’s interest underscores Japan’s growing orientation toward African energy infrastructure as part of its Indo-Pacific strategy. Discussions centered on potential off-take agreements and joint development of petrochemical subcomponents within the hub.

PHDC’s investment drive has been equally active on the diplomacy circuit. In London, the Corporation reaffirmed its working alignment with the UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce (UKGCC), using the platform to engage UK institutional investors and highlight ESG-aligned dimensions of the project.

In Canada, PHDC Board Chair Dr. Toni Aubynn engaged investors at  the Global Energy Show, presenting the hub as a linchpin for West Africa’s refining and logistics future. He drew attention to the project’s capacity for processing over 900,000 barrels per stream day across three planned refineries, along with five petrochemical plants and expansive storage and marine infrastructure.

At the Ghana–China Business Summit, PHDC’s delegation outlined investment pathways with Chinese state-linked firms. These overtures have since led to quiet, high-level discussions with Qatari energy financiers, further strengthening PHDC’s sovereign capital exposure.

Looking ahead, the Corporation will represent Ghana at TICAD9 in Tunis and the Africa Business and Sustainable Finance Forum 2025; key platforms for catalyzing Japanese and multilateral investor commitments.

The Petroleum Hub Project, sited in Jomoro, Western Region, is envisioned as a transformative energy and logistics complex that can shift Ghana from a petroleum consumer market into a regional export and processing powerhouse. Its value proposition lies not only in its infrastructure scale, but in its potential to anchor Africa’s energy transition through integrated supply chain efficiencies and job creation.

From investor boardrooms to global diplomatic summits, Ghana’s Petroleum Hub is no longer a distant ambition. It is steadily becoming one of Africa’s most-watched industrial plays.