The National Petroleum Authority has maintained fuel prices for the month of April.
According to the latest petroleum products price build-up schedule released by the NPA, the ex- pump price of a litre of premium or petrol is 3 cedis 5pesewas while kerosene is going for GHC2 92 Pesewas.
The others, including a litre of premix will sell at GHC1 57 Pesewas while a kilogram of LPG is GHC2 64 Pesewas.
[contextly_sidebar id=”2F2vaOSNb6sgRaOaD6xX3SMXSvKo40Cf”]There has been huge pressure on the NPA to drastically reduce prices of petroleum products after it announced it had settled a 412 million cedi debt owed the Bulk Oil Distributing Companies in February.
Speaking to Citi News, the Executive Director of KITE-Ghana, Ismael Agyekumhene explained that the NPA had no choice than to maintain the price since an increase in prices of petroleum products would have been unjustifiable.
“The NPA knows that they ought to have reduced the prices by now… If they cant reduce it, then they cant also increase it eventhough there are times that the prices are going up, there is no justification that they have to increase it so maintaining the price is the obvious decision they had to take.”
Meanwhile some Ghanaians are asking government to further reduce prices of petroleum products.
A gentleman who spoke to Citi News said “the government has to do something about it because already fuel prices are unbearable so they have to reduce it.”
Another asked government to reduce fuel prices in order to make it affordable to the “low class.”
In a related development , the Bulk Oil Distributing Companies (BDCs) say government’s intervention in the pricing of petroleum products has helped stabilize the ex-pump price.
Government earlier announced its decision to deregulate the sector so the NPA will no longer have no firm control over pricing.
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By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana