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Mustapha Abdul-Hamid: NPA slashes contaminated fuels from 32% to 2.5%

Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid says the National Petroleum Authority is poised to wipe out this 2.51% – the culprits still cheating petroleum consumers in Ghana

Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, the chief executive officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), has said that because of stringent measures instituted by the regulator of the downstream petroleum industry, the quantum of contaminated fuels in the industry has fallen sharply from 32% in 2013 to 2.51% as of August 2021.

“We are aware that fuel adulteration is a global problem,” Dr Abdul-Hamid said. In Ghana, the challenge to both the industry and regulator is obvious.”

He was addressing stakeholders at this year’s Consumer Week Celebration on Thursday (4 November) on the theme “Adulterated Fuels: A Menace to the Consumer and the Economy” in the Volta Region.

Dr Abdul-Hamid said that petroleum service providers who adulterate fuel or knowingly sell adulterated products deprive consumers of value for money at retail outlets and also cause damage to vehicle engines and other machinery.

“Fuel adulteration increases the emission of harmful compounds such as carbon dioxide [and] volatile organic compounds and affects air quality and the environment,” he said.

The NPA is focused on improving the quality of petroleum products to ensure fuel supplied to consumers at final dispensing outlets is of the right-quality specification.

Consumer-sensitive

The NPA boss said the regulator has instituted various measures to ensure that petroleum products are devoid of adulteration.

“The key strategies are the revision of operating procedures in the importation, exportation and production of fuels by petroleum service providers (PSPs) and the introduction of the Petroleum Product Marking Scheme (PPMS) and bulk road vehicle (BRV) tracking system to ensure that products are devoid of adulteration and meet the required specification along the supply chain,” he said.

The NPA has also put in place an improved consumer complaint and resolution procedure to ensure that complaints by members of the public are investigated effectively.

“We are poised to wipe out these 2.51%, [the] culprits still cheating petroleum consumers. This is why we are here today, to tell consumers to report to the NPA any time there is suspicion of the purchase of contaminated fuel.”

Dr Abdul-Hamid added: “There are laws that provide punitive sanctions such as fines, imprisonment, or both for the perpetrators of these fuel quality crimes.”

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