By Seraphine Nyuiemedi
The Volta Regional Manager of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Godwin Yaw Konu, says the NPA will begin an audit exercise on all fuel stations in the Volta Region to ensure fuel quality and safety. The exercise slated for Monday, May 8 to 19, will allow the authority to inspect the necessary regulatory permits, the quality of petroleum products, and the safety of consumers at the various fuel stations.
Speaking at Ho at a media forum organised by the NPA for journalists in the Volta Region, Mr. Konu said the move is to ensure that fuel stations in the region are operating within the confines of the law to prevent any disaster.
The forum was to equip media practitioners in the Volta Region with the requisite knowledge on fuel supply and availability in Ghana to enable them to educate the public in that regard.
Some of the topics looked at included the fuel supply chain, local refining capacity, ensuring security of supply, laycan management, stock monitoring, threats, and the petroleum retail outlet permitting process.
The Volta Regional Manager of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Godwin Yaw Konu, said any fuel station found to be operating without the minimum requirements of the NPA will be closed down. He urged the public to purchase petroleum products only at the various approved retail outlets, as the authority cannot guarantee quality from other illegal sources.
“The exercise entails the inspection of all fuel stations, whether service stations or fuel stations, to ensure that:
1. They have the necessary regulatory permits
2. They are operating as per minimum requirements of the industry
3. That they are safeguarding their own investments, protecting lives and property at the various stations that’s the main focus of the exercise,” he said.
“Fuel consumers should buy fuel from only approved retail outlets, the various filling stations the various service stations that’s where they should buy the petroleum products from. Buying from any other sources, we at the NPA cannot guarantee the quality of the petroleum products their buying for consumption,” he said.
Head of Planning at NPA, Dominic Aboagye, who took the participants through fuel supply and availability, said government is working around the clock to ensure fuel security and sufficiency.
He mentioned the Gold For Oil Programme, Special International Oil Trading License, Rigorous monitoring of the Laycan Programme, Special Forex Auctions by Bank of Ghana, among others as some government interventions. Mr. Aboagye said Ghana is an oil import dependent country therefore, the completion of the upcoming Sentuo Oil Refinery, will complement the existing ones to reduce the country’s over dependent on imported fuel products.
“Ghana finds itself in an import-dependent situation, so most of our supplies come through imports, and it’s a situation that we are trying to change. The coming on stream of a new refinery that will help in boosting local production. There are number of things that we are doing to ensure fuel supply security, the Special Forex Auctions that Bank of Ghana is doing to help sustain fuel into Ghana, Gold For Oil Programme that’s also helping, and the Special International Oil Trading License to ensure these international traders are able to bring in products into storage tanks in Ghana just so that we are secured,” he said.
Last year’s media engagement was mainly on the pricing of petroleum products.
