The demonstration, organized by the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) in collaboration with the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), is to force the government to reduce taxes on petroleum products.

The demonstrators were adamant that the government must address their grievances.

Their placards alluded to the New Patriotic Party’s promises to scrap a number of what it described as ‘nuisance taxes’ before coming into power.

“We have been pleading with the government for about a year now and nothing has been done about it.  so we have come here today to plead with President Nana Akufo-Addo to do something about this. he promised that this government was going to be better than the previous one and that is what we are expecting,” a protestor from the Ashanti Region said.

The Executive Director of COPEC, Duncan Amoah has been leading the charge in the media and he had earlier complained that “we are paying close to $5 in order to be able to get petrol to your tank. That clearly is not helping anything. We understand very well that some of the taxes were introduced as windfall taxes at the time that world market prices had dropped so low and Ghana needed a little more revenue in order to be able to cushion the world market prices that have gone down.”

The National Petroleum Authority [NPA], has commented on the protests as being orchestrated in bad faith and ultimately misleading to the public.

The NPA, in a statement, said some interventions in the sector have seen prices rise by just between 0.66 percent and 1.08 percent

“This intervention by the government has brought down the expected increase of petrol’s price for the period 1st – 15th February, 2018 from 5.06% to 2.16% and from 3.60% to 1.26% for diesel. Despite the expected increases above after the intervention, the actual price changes observed on the market at the moment range between 0.66% and 1.08%,” the NPA said in a statement.

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Photos: Roberta Edem Abbeyquaye

By: Michael Ogbodu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The demonstration, which is being organized by the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) in collaboration with the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), is to force the government to reduce taxes on petroleum products.

[contextly_sidebar id=”sRhl8OiuMsOBq9jliAEebIMeuKpasfP5″]Currently, a litre of both petrol and diesel, goes for GHc4.62 at some major fuel stations.

This is despite assurances from the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) that prices will remain fairly stable at the pumps.

Speaking to Citi News earlier, the Executive Director of COPEC, Duncan Amoah, called on the government to review prices of petroleum products.

“We are paying close to $5 in order to be able to get petrol to your tank. That clearly is not helping anything. We understand very well that some of the taxes were introduced as windfall taxes at the time that world market prices had dropped so low and Ghana needed a little more revenue in order to be able to cushion the world market prices that have gone down.”

“Today, the same dynamics are not at play. Unfortunately, the taxes that were introduced which should have gone by now, are still all in place. Ghana selling petrol above 20 cedis and it is still going up, it cannot be sustained. We need an immediate review of the price build up. We need some reduction. We need some stability in order to plan our spending on petroleum products in the country.”

IES predicts 2% price increase

The Institute of Energy Security (IES), had earlier predicted that prices of fuel may go up by 2 percent in the first pricing window in February, between February 2, 2018, and February 15, 2018.

The IES further attributed the development to the constant rise in crude oil prices which is currently selling at 69 dollars per barrel on the international market, among other factors.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), Duncan Amoah, made this claim on the Citi Breakfast Show on Wednesday, on the back of the National Petroleum Authority’s revelation of massive premix fuel diversions nationwide.

According to him, the premix fuel which is specifically to be used by fisher-folk, are not only diverted and sold to industries, but are also sold by some fuel stations who mix them with petrol and sell to unsuspecting motorists.

[contextly_sidebar id=”8SCEChwondQUBaikPYrpo4eXXY6Nely0″]“These trucks did not find their way into outer space; they have been sold to Ghanaian consumers, unfortunately. What I gathered from behind the scenes is that, most of the activities are carried out on Friday especially when they know NPA inspectors have also gone for their weekends. They would dip about 4,500 of the pre-mix into the actual premium product; it dissolves and it is sold to the unsuspecting consumers. This is ongoing and affecting the engines of vehicles across the country,” he lamented.

Citi News has sighted several letters from the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) to the National Premix Committee in eight months, revealing how the product meant for fisher-folk never reached their intended destinations.

But the NPA has not taken any drastic action in stopping such actions, and has instead been writing letters to the Premix committee and the stakeholders involved.

Over 200 diversions have so far been recorded by the NPA since January 2017 to October.

It has been estimated that the country lost over GHc7 million in subsidies as a result of these diversions.

COPEC lambasts NPA over premix diversions

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on the development, Mr. Amoah lambasted the NPA for sitting aloof while the impunity continues.

He also charged the NPA to go beyond the writing of letters and deal with the perpetrators, saying the Authority has advance information on how and where the products were diverted.

“If you go through the tracking used by the NPA, at every minute of tracking, you can tell where the track loaded from, where it moved to and where the product ended.  If the NPA would be very sincere to Ghanaians, these 200 trucks are not missing, they know where they went. If the NPA would be candid with all the 200 diversions, they will be able to find where they went to just like it did with the BOST issue.”

The Executive Secretary of COPEC also called on the NPA to punish those involved in the diversions, adding that “no amount of time will be enough for investigation if they [NPA] cannot tell us where the 200 trucks have vanished to.”

Review pre-mix fuel distribution arrangement

COPEC in an earlier statement called for a review of the distribution arrangement of the product, which it said has become “a lucrative business for those in the supply chain.”

“It is our belief that the whole premix arrangement need a complete review and a complete overhauling. The current system in practice is simply prone for such corrupt diversions and re-trading as the difference in real market price and how much we subsidize for, makes for a lucrative business for those in the supply chain,” the statement added.

Below is the full statement from COPEC:

CHAMBER OF PETROLEUM CONSUMERS-GHANA

PRE-MIX DIVERSION
HALT THE TALK AND PUNISH THE CROOKS DAMAGING OUR ENGINES

The news of the diversions of over 200 trucks of pre-mix products meant for the engines of the fishermen in our fishing communities across the country is one that leaves most consumers of petroleum products in the country much more anxious about the sort of products they are being served at some pumps in the country.

Premix fuel is a subsidised product that attracts lower charges than the traditional white petroleum products of petrol and diesel, premix is a blend of pms or petrol to a portion of auto lubricants to achieve the needed viscosity for the engines of fishing boats and vessels.

The idea behind blending to achieve premix at subsidised market rates lower than pump prices of the two white products has primarily been to augment fishing activities in the country but seem no longer useful from the way the programme has been handled over the period.

A blend of 25 litres of pms or petrol and a litre of auto lubricants is often applied to achieve the needed viscosity.

This product can however be easily reblended back to pms if the right volumes of petrol is added to the subsidised premix meant for fishing.

It thus comes to us as no surprised that those who know the alternate value and use of the premix product will use every means neccesary to divert the products for higher resale value at certain fuel stations who agree to compromise.

The news of the diversions whose end point we unable to determine as of this day and time, indeed poses a danger to the engines of the unsuspecting public who buy fuel from some of the compromised outlets.

It is our belief that the whole premix arrangement need a complete review and a complete overhauling, the current system In practice is simply prone for such corrupt diversions and retrading as the difference in real market price and how much we subsidise for, makes for a lucrative business for those in the supply chain.

The issue of the whereabouts of the over 200 trucks of diverted pre-mix further leaves us wondering whether indeed there is any effective tracking system in place as has been variously suggested by authorities all this while with the very recent one being a further assurance from the sector Minister of banning of individuals from any further loading of contaminated products except for BOST using BRVs fitted with tracking devices.

One wonders why after over 3 years of introducing tracking systems in the petroleum downstream the country is still having challenges telling when and where products loaded for specific destinations eventually ended at and further enforces our long held suspicions that marked and bad products not meant for our engines still find its way to some pumps without any effective checks and tracking in place.

We call on the National Petroleum Authority to step up efforts at eliminating the excesses in this current premix arrangement that only serve as a cash cow for the handlers of the system.

We further call for an immediate audit of all the liftings done within the period in question and if possible extend beyond the current year to unearth all possible diversion conduits and punish same immediately.

Signed

Duncan Amoah
Executive Secretary
Copec Ghana

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

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Speaking on The Big Issue, Mr. Amoah expressed some concern that the one-year deadline given for the full implementation of the new module, initially proposed by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), may not be enough, and will breed some compromise.

[contextly_sidebar id=”WOI8gtNISfaAllvRCXwwHkQzxI8UTnAy”]For him, questions about the transportation of the gas and the enforcement of safety regulations had not been adequately answered, although it’s early days yet.

The directive from the President for the implementation of the programme, was announced only on Thursday, October 12, after a Cabinet meeting in the wake of the Atomic Junction gas explosion.

The new policy means that, LPG Bottling Plants will be sited away from congested areas, to allow for plants that will procure, brand, maintain and fill empty cylinders to be distributed to consumers through retail outlets.

Danger increasing?

But Mr. Amoah, in his comments on the matter said, “the question we [COPEC] are not exactly satisfied with answers we have been provided so far, is how these plants or depots, the four of them going to be set across the country, will transport the LPG. Are we going to go by road… will the trucks still drive the LPG by road?”

He noted that, LPG tankers will now be going to plants to offload gas, opening up these plants to previous safety concerns.

“If those plants will operate according to world-class standards with no gaps and lapses, as it pertains already with the existing outlets, then we are talking safety… Other than that, if what pertains in the Atomic case is allowed in any of the four, then we are graduating the danger from, let’s say, 7 deaths to about 7,000.”

Mr. Amoah said the one year period given for the implementation “is not the kind of time we have now to go and comprehensively develop something… I wonder and doubt if the one-year timeline given by Cabinet will be enough to address all the challenges surrounding the implementation of a programme that big.”

He also said he doubted if the plants would be developed in bushes, and that they would “still be closer to cities and developments.”

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The employees, in a petition addressed to the Minister of Energy, Chief of Staff, and the Minister of National Security on Thursday argued that calls for the dismissal of their CEO was uncalled for since “the sale of off-spec products is not new to the operations of BOST.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”raWRVj7TySouTyTQ43Be6cCJEQVcJzUV”]They explained that “BOST receives request from dealers of Off-spec products and this dates back from 2014, 2015 and 2016, but in all these situations, we saw nothing untoward.The same process was followed in the sale of the recent one.”

They therefore called on the “general public to disregard the call by Minority in Parliament for the interdiction of the MD of BOST…and support the MD’s quest to ensuring that all who have aided in looting the nation through BOST are duly punished.”

But Mr. Duncan Amoah, in a rebuttal, said their demands will only “deepen controversy surrounding this whole transaction that has led to this brouhaha.”

He believes their demands are not only “ridiculous but indeed unfounded.”

Justifying calls for the BOST Director’s interdiction, Mr. Duncan pointed out that, Ghanaians and the relevant stakeholders have the right to demand for accountability from BOST since they “continue to pay 3 pesewas per litre to keep BOST working.”

“When such incidents happen, in the interest of going forward, we would want to get to the bottom of it to forestall any future re-occurrence,” he added.

We’ve intensified surveillance at fuel stations – OMCs

Meanwhile, the President of the Association of Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), Kwaku Agyemang Duah, has said both the OMCs and the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), have intensified surveillance at various fuel stations since the development.

“We noted grave concerns about this issue and we are working very hard with the National Petroleum Authority to make sure we don’t get this product into various stations. The NPA has been making some surveillance and we want to assure our customers that they should not panic.”

“We are coming against the backdrop of when we started talking about illegal fuel; since then, we have been very vigilant in our stations, trying to make sure that we don’t have any unwanted fuel…,” Mr. Duah said

He revealed that the NPA has been able to track about nine out of the ten tracks of contaminated fuel, adding that both the OMCs and NPA “are working to make sure that we track all of them.”

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

The post Resistance against BOST CEO’s interdiction “ridiculous” – Duncan Amoah appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

“I suspect that what is happening is that following recent instructions across the country for government to renegotiate mining rights, these companies are beginning to blackmail the government into giving them more concessions, that’s all that is happening,” Mr. Pratt explained.

Anglogold Ashanti announced its intentions of retrenching its workers due to what it describes as rising cost of production, under performance of employees and unstable world market price of gold.

But speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Pratt criticized the intended action, describing it as totally shocking and a shabby treatment of its employees.

“The people of Obuasi are not a piece of burden only to be employed when things are going well. The people of Obuasi are the owners of that resource, they are the owners of the gold and the shabby of treatment these people by Anglogold Ashanti is totally shocking,” said Mr. Pratt.

Mr. Pratt also questioned why the company’s windfall profits were not used to keep the employees from being laid off.

“Until recently, Anglogold Ashanti and all of them were making windfall profits. Why is that some of those windfall profits cannot be ploughed back to keep workers at work, to keep the people whose resources have made them millionaires?”

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Inusah Fuseini justified the need for Anglogold Ashanti to close its Obuasi Mines.

The Minister noted that the company cannot continue with its operations, taking into consideration its current circumstances.

But in a rebuttal, Mr. Pratt criticized the Minister stance, saying his comments were inappropriate and unjustifiable.

He further noted that the people of Ghana have gained next to nothing from the exploitation of their mines.” All the resources have gone out, we sign the foreign exchange retention agreement with these mining companies which enables them to keep about 90 percent of what they earn here abroad.”

According to him, research suggest that Ghana gets less than 5 percent of the total value of gold that is mined from the country.

“We are being robbed, we are totally robbed and then they(Anglogold Ashanti) come back and tell us that look, we cant take the millions we use to make anymore, so we are going to sack your people, we are going to worsen the employment situation in the country. We are going to make the people of Obuasi go hungry in the addition to the pollution of their environment,”Mr. Pratt lamented.

In that regard, Mr. Pratt noted that the problem presents an opportunity for Ghanaians to take over their mines and exploit their own resources for their own benefit.

Click on audio to listen to Mr. Pratt

By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Anglogold is blackmailing gov’t- Kwesi Pratt appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.