The government has been encouraged by the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC-GH) to swiftly address outstanding Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) disputes with industry participants in order to resume the supply of the commodity in the nation.
It said that due to ongoing concerns, the Ghana Liquefied Petroleum Gas Operators Association (GLIPGOA), Liquified Petroleum Gas Marketing Companies (LPGMCS), and Ghana National Tanker Drivers Association (GNTDA) withdrew their services as of yesterday.
Consumers will continue to suffer the brunt of the situation, according to a statement released in Accra yesterday by COPEC Executive Secretary Duncan Amoah. All LPG shops are still not operating.
A restriction on all new LPG sites, which has impacted their operations and finances over the past several years, and overall wellbeing were among the worries of the sector operators, according to the report. GNTDA's strike, which COPEC claims inspired the others to join, came after the group's fruitless attempts to get their concerns addressed by both the Ministry of Energy and the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).
Regarding the origin of the issues, it was said that the NPA, under the leadership of its former Chief Executive, Hasan Tampuli, ordered the freezing of the permits for a number of stations that were still under construction following the atomic gas explosion nearly five years ago.
The various companies that had invested heavily in the construction of these retail points are now heavily in debt and distressed as a result of constant harassment from their banks and other finance entities who had advanced various loans to them, several years later, and this ban is still in place.
Instead of the anticipated 15% growth year over year, the prohibition, according to COPEC, caused the operators' volumes to decline by around 11% over the last year.
The statement said that attempts by players in the LPG market to fix the problems had all been ineffective since authorities did not appear to comprehend the stress the operators were under.
"We urge the NPA, led by Dr. Mustapha Hamid, to ensure a swift settlement of the impasse between the operators and authorities so that these stores can immediately reopen across the nation.
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The government has been encouraged by the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC-GH) to swiftly address outstanding Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) disputes with industry participants in order to resume the supply of the commodity in the nation.
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