The LPG Marketers have long expressed objections to the policy which is supposed to be in full flow by November 2018, according to a Presidential directive.

[contextly_sidebar id=”oF6sffOV3dcpln1TdrEaRiRscJRY3oZK”]The model involves the filling of LPG cylinders at designated refilling plants before distribution to customers at retail outlets.

The model, proposed by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), is also a safety measure that will ensure that LPG filling points are sited out of the range of densely populated areas and commercial centres following a number of gas explosions that have claimed multiple lives.

LPG Marketers have consistently voiced their concerns with the policy, which they believe can collapse their businesses and result in job losses.

The Association has now issued a final notice to the government over its concerns, with the threat of legal action if it does not hear from the Energy Minister by Wednesday.

LPG marketers granted ‘too much room’

But speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Amin Anta retorted that “the fact that we buy LPG from the LPG marketing companies should not be the reason for them to hold all of us to ransom because a letter they have written to a minister has not been responded to.”

Mr. Amin Anta also feels that the government has “given [the association] too much room as far as their concerns are important to the implementation of the national LPG promotion policy.”

The LPG Marketers Association recently temporarily suspended operations nationwide, and some observers described their action as an attempt to blackmail the government.

Policy here to stay

Mr. Amin Anta noted that the government has been engaging the association over the past three months and at the last meeting between the two parties, “we all agreed that the policy has come to stay. The policy has been approved by Cabinet. It has been announced as part of a directive the president issued.”

“So as far as we are concerned, we can’t do anything about the policy,” Mr. Amin Anta stressed, and insisted that the “policy has taken care of everyone,” in attempts at compromise.

“I assured that we are going to set up an implementation committee and they [the LPG marketers] will have a place on that implementation committee. Therefore if they have input to make on how we can effectively implement the policy, if they have concerns about how we can effectively implement the policy, they should go to the implementation committee and ensure that they addressed there.”

Life after the policy

The Energy Ministry and the NPA have noted that existing LPG stations will be classified into low and high risks based on their deficiency in meeting required safety standards in an ongoing NPA’s Risk Assessment.

The LPG stations found to be high risk will be converted into filled cylinder retail and distribution outlets while those found to be low risk will be made into a dedicated to the supply of gas.

The de-commissioned high-risk filling stations will be adequately compensated after an assessment has been thoroughly carried out by a qualified asset valuation expert.

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

The post LPG Marketers can’t hold Ghana to ransom – Minister appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The module, proposed by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), will ensure that LPG filling points are sited out of densely populated areas and commercial centres.

[contextly_sidebar id=”Op7GOwK3dQrYfklkcjRt0z0i2mAMHOVn”]This is unlikely to go down well with the LPG Marketers Association and the Association of Gas Tanker Drivers, who have in the past kicked against this proposal, citing job losses and other negative impacts on their businesses.

The President expects this and many other directives issued after Thursday’s cabinet meeting, to be implemented within a year.

A statement from the government after the much-anticipated cabinet meeting on Thursday said: “At the Cabinet meeting of 12th October 2017, the President of the Republic, on the advice of Cabinet, directed that henceforth the Cylinder Recirculation Model of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) distribution be implemented.”

“This model means that LPG Bottling Plants will be sited away from congested commercial and population centers and will procure, brand, maintain and fill empty cylinders to be distributed to consumers and households through retail outlets. Low-risk stations will be designated for the supply of gas to vehicles. This whole exercise must be completed within one year.”

These directives followed the public outcry in the wake of the massive explosion at an LPG filling station at Atomic Junction.

That explosion has so far claimed at least seven lives and injured over 100 persons. The loss of lives even touched closer to the Presidency, as a presidential correspondent for Net 2 TV lost his life in the commotion sparked by the explosion.

The outrage over the explosion was the culmination of widespread concern over the lax safety standards of some LPG and petrol filling stations, which have seen about eight major explosions since 2014, not counting the June 3 fire and flood disaster at a petrol station near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

Find below the full statement from the Presidency, which also outlines nine safety measures ordered by the President after the Cabinet meeting.

NEW GOVERNMENT REGULATORY MEASURES, FOLLOWING GAS EXPLOSION AT ATOMIC JUNCTION

On the evening of 7th October 2017, the nation was shaken by a horrible gas explosion at Atomic Junction in Accra, which led to the loss of seven lives, 132 injuries and the destruction of valuable property. In the past three years, we have been subjected to eight such incidents of explosions. This latest incident was one too many, which we must take all necessary steps to bring to an end.

The importance of gas, and its use in our national economy, requires that we must develop and enforce regulations and practices, and deploy technology to ensure the safe use of gas and safety of our citizens.

At the Cabinet meeting of 12th October 2017, the President of the Republic, on the advice of Cabinet, directed that henceforth the Cylinder Recirculation Model of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) distribution be implemented. This model means that LPG Bottling Plants will be sited away from congested commercial and population centers and will procure, brand, maintain and fill empty cylinders to be distributed to consumers and households through retail outlets. Low risk stations will be designated for the supply of gas to vehicles. This whole exercise must be completed within one year.

In the interim, the President has directed that the following steps be taken to give comfort to and ensure the safety of our citizens:

1. immediate inspection of all gas stations and the vigorous enforcement of existing regulations by the National Petroleum Authority;
2. review of the current licensing regime to ensure that only those with demonstrable capacity and competence engage in the LPG distribution business;
3. institution of mandatory training and certification of the staff of Regulators, Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and LPG Marketing Companies to ensure the safe handling of LPG;
4. review the safety protocols along the entire value chain through the combined efforts of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), National Fire Service (NFS), Town and Country Planning Department of the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and the Factories Inspectorate Department of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations;
5. deployment of a task force, within 30 days, to assess the risk that our current LPG infrastructure poses in terms of public health and safety. High risk stations will be immediately closed down, in accordance with relevant law and without regard to any political or special interests. Low risk stations will be designated for the supply of gas for vehicles with improved safety standards;
6. the immediate incorporation of standards and guidelines developed by Ghana Standards Authority on the handling, storage and distribution of LPG and other petroleum products as technical regulations to strengthen the enforcement regime;
7. the recruitment by NPA of 200 safety auditors to join the staff of the Factories Inspectorate Department of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to check regularly on all stations to ensure full compliance with safety standards and practices;
8. expedition of action by the Fire Service and the Police Service of on-going investigations. Any operator or regulatory official, against whom any act of criminal negligence is established, will face the full rigors of the law;
9. immediate cessation, until further notice, of all construction of facilities intended for use as gas or petroleum retail stations.

The safety of citizens is the paramount objective of Government, and the President will take all necessary steps to ensure that citizens are safe.

……signed……

Hon. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid

Minister for Information

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

The post Implement cylinder circulation program – Nana Addo orders appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

A prenuptial agreement, commonly abbreviated to prenup or prenupt, is a contract entered into prior to marriage , civil union or any other agreement prior to the main agreement by the people intending to marry or contract with each other.

The content of a prenuptial agreement can vary widely, but commonly includes provisions for division of property and spousal support in the event of divorce or breakup of marriage.

They may also include terms for the forfeiture of assets as a result of divorce on the grounds of adultery; further conditions of guardianship may be included as well.

In an interview with Jessica Opare Sarfo on Traffic Avenue, Dr. Adinkrah said prenups are more common in the West, adding that those agreements do not generate any controversy.

He further indicated that prenups give couples an opportunity to anticipate what will happen after a divorce so they can adequately prepare for it and know how to handle it.

Dr. Adinkrah stated that prenups also require or mandate the husband or wife to state the amount of property that he or she  would give out to his or her spouse if they should be divorced.

“When you have property,you have money in the bank, you have children, you have partners and all that and you know that you will divorce, you have to pay in the Ghanaian sense what we call Financial provision,” Dr. Adinkrah explained

“You  also have to sit down with this prospective person and agree that in case we divorce, I’m going to give you two or three houses, or I’m going to give three billion, so that when divorce comes, you go by your agreements,”  he added.

By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Prenups don’t generate controversy- Dr. Kofi Adinkrah appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.