GOIL on the move
The re-opening of the refurbished GOIL Service Station at Santasi Roundabout in Kumasi on Friday, August 19, 2016 could have been a simple ceremony. But it was not.
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It turned out to be a big occasion, with happiness and satisfaction written on the faces of the dignitaries who were present and the ordinary residents of Santasi who were attracted to the “reborn” station by the music provided by the Police Band.
It certainly was also a never-to-be-forgotten day for motorists, taxi drivers, trotro drivers and private car owners who had been ‘starved’ for so long, since the Santasi station was closed down and demolished in 2014.
The Santasi GOIL Service Station, no doubt, has occupied pride of place in the Garden City since the 1970s, passing through many hands, including Mr W. K. Yeboah who also managed the Bekwai Roundabout station in Kumasi and the Lartebiokoshie Link Road Service Station in Accra, through Mr P. C. Nkrumah, who handed over to the Mr E.E. Biney(late) before the current manager, Mr Kwame Appiah, popularly known as Kappi, took over in 2003.
As the Fuel Marketing Manager, Mr Alex Adzew remarked in his welcome address that GOIL’s decision to rebrand and make the station more appealing to the motoring public and others led to closure of the Santasi Service Station in 2014 for reconstruction.
From all indications, the closure of the Santasi station did not go down well with the people of the area as most of the customers did not believe the station would come back to life.
Modern station
In the words of Mr Adzew, “From Patasi to the Bekwai Roundabout or the Bekwai Roundabout to Santasi and Kokoben and those driving to Obuasi, Cape Coast, Takoradi and beyond, the Santasi station was their station of choice.”
He added that the Santasi station was popular since motorists could drive into the station with ease to fuel their vehicles and connect back to their route.
No doubt there was a lot of fuss over the reopening of the Santasi Station after two years of closure. GOIL really made a lot of noise over the inauguration of the new ultra-modern station, which occupies a much bigger space with all its modern facilities.
Yes, GOIL used the occasion of the inauguration of the new service station to tell its success story and more importantly why Ghanaians should patronise the company because it is their own and whatever profit the company makes remains in the country.
That was why members of the Board of GOIL, led by its chairman, Prof. William Asomaning, and the management team, led by the Managing Director, Mr Patrick A.K. Akorli, were all present at the show-piece event at Kumasi.
To add colour and royalty to the occasion, the Otumfuo, Asantehene Osei Tutu II was invited and he was ably represented by one of his lieutenants, the Adumhene, Baffour Agyei Kesse IV, who was supported by the Omanhene of the Kokofu Traditional Area, Barima Offei Akwasi Okogyeasuo II.
Patronage of indigenous companies
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr John Alexander Ackon, who was visibly impressed with the facilities he saw at Santasi, entreated Ghanaians to embrace successful indigenous companies by patronising their products, as that would ease the pressure on the cedi and ultimately help the economy.
Mr Ackon said he was aware GOIL had embarked on a rebranding exercise of its service stations which had culminated in the increase of the number of its stations from about 160 to 250 countrywide.
“It is this move that has made GOIL more attractive to customers. I am, therefore, telling all Ghanaians that patronising Ghanaian-owned companies such as GOIL was not only imperative but a national call that will ensure the growth of the economy because of the strength of the cedi,” Mr Ackon entreated.
He also tasked the GOIL management team to maintain the quality of its products.
The Adumhene, who was the guest of honour, said he was dazzled by what he was seeing at Santasi. He told the gathering that having lived abroad for a considerable length of time, he did not see any difference between the leading stations in the USA and what GOIL had provided at Santasi.
He commended GOIL for its good products and entreated Ghanaians to patronise home-grown industries and business concerns.
The Managing Director of GOIL, Mr Patrick Akorli, appealed to Ghanaians to be patriotic by supporting GOIL to grow the Ghanaian economy.
He said GOIL belonged to all Ghanaians and it would not be wise to support foreign companies operating in Ghana since they will transfer their profits to their home countries to grow their economy.
Mr Akorli mentioned that in some of the countries he had visited such as Mexico, Jamaica and Cameroon, the people patronise their indigenous oil marketing companies, Petcom, Pemex and Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures.
Appreciation of customers
He paid glowing tribute to customers of the company, reminding them of the benefits that have accrued to them as a result of the deregulation of the industry.
He noted that GOIL had raised the standards in terms of delivering quality products and appealed to Ghanaians to embrace successful national brands like GOIL.
According to Mr Akorli, the company has over 16,000 shareholders benefitting from the fruits of its success.
He indicated that GOIL intended to enter the West African market on the strength of huge investments in Bunkering, Aviation and Bitumen business.
Also present at the Santasi event was Ghana’s former triple world boxing Champion, Barima Azumah Nelson, who as GOIL brand Ambassador is at the forefront of efforts to sell GOIL to Ghanaians and to move the company forward.
Even though the players of Kumasi Asante Kotoko were scheduled to leave Kumasi for Sekondi that day to honour their week-end encounter with Sekondi Hasaacas, they found time to be present.
They were led by the General Manager of the club, Mr Opoku Nti, who said the team had to be in attendance because the sponsorship package of GH¢40,000 per month Kotoko is enjoying from GOIL had gone a long way to help the club in their quest to win the league title this year.
Accra Hearts of Oak also enjoys a similar sponsorship package from GOIL.
The Ghana Oil Company was initially called AGIP PETROLI of ITALY. In 1960, GOIL succeeded the marketing outfit of AGIP PETROLI. In 1974, the Government of Ghana acquired 100 per cent shares and changed the name to GOIL, which has since been solely managed and operated by Ghanaians.
The great strides made by GOIL over the past 50 years have no doubt earned it recognition. GOIL through hard work and sound management has risen from obscurity as a near–moribund state enterprise to become the number one oil marketing giant in the country
On the day the Santasi Service Station was reopened, GOIL was adjudged the country’s number two company on the prestigious Club 100 listing by the Ghana Investment Promotions Centre (GIPC). Today, it is the best listed and largest company in Ghana and is also recognised by the CIMG as the Best Oil Marketing Company (OMC).