The National Petroleum Authority, in partnership with the security agencies, is actively engaging in a campaign to crack down on fuel smuggling activities, particularly in the border communities of the Upper East Region, making the business of fuel smuggling unattractive.
The petroleum supply chain downstream of Ghana has been affected by fuel smuggling, resulting in price and demand volatility for bulk distribution companies as well as consumers.
Fuel smugglers have been using the many unlicensed routes in the Upper East Region that border landlocked countries to illegally move fuel in the middle of the night.
The current National Petroleum Authority (NPA) leadership, headed by its Managing Director Sheik Mustapha Abdullah Hamid, has put an end to the practice of fuel smuggling in all border towns and villages.
The Upper East Regional Office of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) under the leadership of Regional Manager Bashiru NATOGMA, in conjunction with the Security Services, has rendered the fuel smuggling business unappealing and has contributed significantly to the enhancement of fuel sales and the provision of quality fuel in the region.
The electronic monitoring system implemented by the National Petroleum Agency (NPA) for the transport of petroleum products throughout the country also facilitates the detection of fuel smuggling.
At a media briefing to provide journalists with an update on the Authority's operations, Mr. Bashiru Nathogma revealed the swiftness of the Authority's response and the measures taken to combat and eliminate fuel trafficking in Upper East Region.
He reiterates the Authority's responsibility to see that consumers receive high-quality petroleum products in quantities that provide value for their money.
In collaboration with security agencies, my team has significantly reduced the prevalence of fuel smuggling, particularly in border towns, where the majority of the smuggling operations take place.
We are sternly telling everyone involved in the fuel smuggling business—both those who have been detected and those who have not—to quit or face legal consequences. In the war against fuel smuggling in the border towns and at a few abandoned gas stations, we are not skipping a beat, Mr. Bashiru raged.
The National Protection Agency (NPA) and the Security Agencies (SA) have deployed security personnel on a daily basis at the border crossing points with neighbouring countries in order to reduce the threat of smuggling.
Pindaa Community in the Kassena Nankana Municipality, Nakolo in the Kassena Nankana West District, Kulungugu in the Pusiga District, Nayagnia in the Kassena Nankana Municipality, Bongo Soe in the Bongo District, and a few border communities in the area are a few of the points.
As part of the NPA's efforts to prohibit gasoline smuggling, community people and opinion leaders in border villages have also been made aware of and educated on the necessity to prevent and discourage fuel smuggling for the socioeconomic growth of the nation.
In order to deter middlemen who smuggle petroleum products into these nearby nations, the NPA, in conjunction with the security services, has provided some incentives for easy takeoff and transportation of petroleum products from depots in Bolgatanga and Buipe. These foreign petroleum transporters are from Burkina Faso, Togo, Mali, and Niger.
Mr. Bashiru Natogma advised the people to inform the NPA of any illegal or unapproved activity at the fuel stations or the LPG Refilling points via the NPA's toll-free contact numbers. Also, he recommended customers who were the victims of pump fraud to get a receipt as proof.
Mr. Dominic Aboagye, the NPA's head of planning, spoke to journalists about the availability and supply of fuel in Ghana and assured the public that the NPA, which serves as a regulatory and enforcement body, will ensure an uninterrupted flow of high-quality petroleum products to Ghanaians and customers in Burkina Faso, Togo, Mali, and Niger.
According to Mr. Dominic Aboagye, Ghana's petroleum products are the best in West Africa and among the greatest in the world since they successfully compete with those found in Europe and other oil-producing nations.
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