The Legal Manager of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Farida Ali Musah, has called on operators of the petroleum industry to strictly adhere to accepted practices to avoid the risk of prosecution.
She cited the engagement of persons in activities in the downstream industry without licence, misapplication of prescribed petroleum pricing formula, and obstruction of officers of NPA or interfering with their work, as offences that would be prosecuted if violated.
Ms Musah stated that, the NPA had been empowered to prosecute operators in the downstream petroleum industry, who were found guilty under the National Petroleum Authority Act 2005 (ACT 691) and its regulations.
He made this known at a media engagement with journalists in Wa in the Upper West Region on Wednesday.
It was to equip the participants with the requisite knowledge on fuel supply and availability in the country, to enable them to educate the public on the mandate and activities of the NPA.
“There are also offences of false statements and withholding of material information, the abuse of the BRV tracking and volume monitoring regulation and all of these can put the perpetrator in trouble with the NPA,” Ms Musah said.
She urged the Ghana Police Service, Judiciary, stakeholders, media and related agencies to implement Executive Instrument (EI) 378, so that the NPA can check anomalies in the petroleum industry.
The NPA Director of Planning, Mr Dominic Aboagye, highlighted the importance of safety measures during the transportation and storage of petroleum products.
He said fuel station owners needed to be proactive in identifying supply plan disruptions and take the necessary measures to mitigate them.
Mr Aboagye said NPA was advocating the revival of the Tema Oil Refinery and the construction of the Sentuo Refinery, to increase fuel refinery and supply in the country.
The Upper West Regional Manager of the NPA, Mr Osman Mahama, said an applicant for a filling station business needed to have a site plan, no objection construction permit, an authorisation test run and an authorisation to operate from the NPA.
He said any fuel station found to be operating without the minimum requirement of the NPA would be closed down.
Mr Mahama appealed to the public to report to the NPA any misconducts by attendants at fuel stations.
FROM RAFIA ABDUL RAZAK, WA
