Skip to main content

West Africa’s biggest bitumen plant

July saw the ceremonial sod cutting for a project to build West Africa’s biggest bitumen plant: a joint venture between Ghana’s oil company GOIL and Societe Multinationale de Bitumes (SMB) of the Ivory Coast. The project, which will cost around US$35 million according to GOIL, is in Tema Ghana. With a capacity of 8,000tonnes, it will produce AC10 and AC20 bitumen and polymer modified bitumen (PMB). Speaking at the ceremony, Ghana’s minister of energy John Peter Amewu said: “Due to the success of the PMB
September 19, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
July saw the ceremonial sod cutting for a project to build West Africa’s biggest bitumen plant: a joint venture between Ghana’s oil company GOIL and Societe Multinationale de Bitumes (SMB) of the Ivory Coast. The project, which will cost around US$35 million according to GOIL, is in Tema Ghana. With a capacity of 8,000tonnes, it will produce AC10 and AC20 bitumen and polymer modified bitumen (PMB).


Speaking at the ceremony, Ghana’s minister of energy John Peter Amewu said: “Due to the success of the PMB, which is proven to give a longer lifespan to asphalted roads, the Ghana Highways Authority also plans to continue using it for all major highways resurfacing or construction in the country.”

Ghana’s road network of over 63,000km needs repair and modernisation. According to management consultants Investigroup, which has an office in Ghana, a rehabilitation programme of $1.5 billion/year for the next ten years would be needed to get the roads up to a good standard.

Related Content

  • Kenya develops annuity road funding model
    May 8, 2015
    Kenya is introducing novel methods for funding its necessary road infrastructure development - Shem Oirere writes. Kenya has unveiled a new financing model for road construction and reviewed its design standards and construction methodologies, which forms part of a new strategy for the East African country. Under this new plan Kenya is planning to upgrade 10,000km of road, with these links featuring asphalt surfacing; the work being carried out over the next five years at a cost of US$2.8 billion. Despite t
  • Road recycling in Denmark
    May 13, 2024
    A novel approach to road refurbishment has saved time, money and carbon emissions in Denmark, while delivering a quality road surface.
  • New tests for modified bitumens and mixes with RAP
    December 19, 2014
    This month we learn about a new test which is helping to predict the performance of asphalt mixtures containing recycled materials and modifiers, and we showcase some of the new testing equipment recently launched - writes Kristina Smith Researchers in the US have come up with a new test to help owners and contractors better predict the performance of their roads. “The problem is that the current tests cannot determine the performance of new materials,” said Dr Haleh Azari, manager of the AASHTO Advanced P
  • What lies beneath Down Under
    January 11, 2021
    The third and final construction stage on Sydney’s WestConnex project has begun, including the underground Rozelle Interchange – with a lot of help from Komatsu