NPA wants independence to ensure best practices
National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has stressed the need for the authority to be made an independent assessment body to ensure that activities of fuel retail outlets conform to best practices.
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It will also help curb the high incidence of gas explosions and other related fire outbreaks that have claimed lives and destroyed properties in the country.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NPA, Mr Alhassan Tampuli, said this at a pre-launch media briefing in Tamale last Monday as part of a series of stakeholder engagements to herald the launch of a National Petroleum Safety Campaign next month on the theme: “People safety first”.
Campaign
The campaign forms part of the NPA’s mandate to engage with all stakeholders in the petroleum downstream industry, including the media, across the country.
The programme by the NPA is to minimise accidents in the petroleum industry and households in Ghana.
Inspection and monitoring
Mr Tampuli said the NPA would also intensify the inspection and monitoring of activities of all service providers and that those who failed to conform to safety standards would be sanctioned accordingly.
He said the authority would also embark on an extensive exercise to close down fuel stations that failed to comply with the rules and regulations in the industry.
Gas explosions
According to him, most of the gas explosions experienced in the country in recent times were due to negligence.
“We must all join hands to see our industry become safer and healthier because when lives of citizens are secure, it will contribute towards economic growth,” the CEO stated.
Mr Tampuli added that the safety campaign was also to educate the public on the proper use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to promote its use across the country.
According to him, the current penetration level of gas stood at 23 per cent, “meaning that majority of Ghanaians are not using gas in their homes”.
He further indicated that the NPA would institute a Safety Day for players in the industry to uphold safety standards in their operations.
Checks
The Chief Inspector, Monitoring and Licensing at the NPA, Madam Esther Anku, said the authority would ensure proper check-up before issuing licences to fuel operators and said routine monitoring exercises would be conducted to ensure that all fuel operators adhered to standards in the industry.
She said the authority would also liaise with the various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) and traditional authorities to educate the people on the dangers of illegal sale of fuel in the communities.
The sale of petroleum products in bottles on tables is widespread in the Northern Region. The NPA has, however, advised the public not to patronise such products, since it could not guarantee its quality.