The Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) has embarked on a major nationwide debt recovery exercise aimed at ending its traditional credit-purchase system.

As a substitute, the cash-and-carry system to dislodge TOR from its perpetual and chronic cash strapped status has been instituted. Sources close to the office of the Director of Petroleum at the Ministry of Energy disclosed to The Weekend Heritage that much of TOR's problems are linked to the non-payment of bills by its debtors. Major debtors to the TOR, according to the source, are the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) the Police, and the Castle, among several national institutions.

TOR now demands upfront payment for supplies. As a result, when the Weekend Heritage visited the TOR over the weekend, scores of petrol tankers were seen parked at the refinery unattended to, while a joint team of the Tankers Owners Union, and the Tankers Drivers Union were locked in discussions with management of the refinery over the new directives. Efforts to speak to TOR’s Chief Executive or the Administrative Manager proved futile as The Weekend Heritage was told they attending to urgent matters.

However, a driver The Weekend Heritage spoke to indicated that even though the new directive has initially stalled petroleum distribution in the country, it is a good measure to protest the system from abuses associated with petroleum distribution in the country. He explained that hitherto, some tanker drivers fraudulently diverted petrol rations meant for certain regions and pocketed the proceeds in collaboration with some unscrupulous workers as the refinery.