Fuel 

The Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) was incorporated in December 1993 as a private limited liability company under the Companies Act,1963 (Act 179) with the Government of Ghana as the sole shareholder. BOST has the mandate: 

• To develop a network of storage tanks, pipelines and other bulk transportation infrastructure throughout the country. 

• To rent or lease out part of the storage facilities to enable it to generate income. 

• To keep Strategic Reserve Stocks for Ghana. 

• To own, manage and develop a national network of oil pipelines and storage depots. 

To manage the “Zonalization” policy of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and to develop the Natural Gas Infrastructure throughout the country. 

In this regard, BOST is responsible for building strategic reserve stocks to meet a minimum of six (6) weeks of national consumption in the short and medium term and to increase stock level to twelve (12) weeks in the long term. 

To adequately fulfil its mandate, BOST has developed a network of storage and pipeline infrastructure throughout the country. The Company currently has six (6) Depots nationwide. These are in the Accra Plains, Mami Water, Akosombo, Kumasi, Buipe and Bolgatanga. Pipelines link the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to the Accra Plains Depot which in turn is linked to the Mami Water Depot and ends at the Akosombo Depot. 

Another pipeline links the Buipe Depot to the Bolgatanga Depot. For petroleum products to reach the northern parts of the country, it is conveyed by pipeline from the Tema Oil Refinery through the Accra Plains Depot and Mami Water to Akosombo where it is loaded onto River Barges to Buipe. It is then conveyed to Bolgatanga by 261km- 8-inch pipeline. 

The Depot in Kumasi receives products by Bulk Road Vehicles (BRVs) from the Accra Plains Depot. BOST has built four barges to convey petroleum products from Akosombo to Buipe for onward transmission to Bolgatanga. However, the Bolgatanga Depot was recently recommissioned after several years of inactivity thus making it necessary for Buipe to feed Bolgatanga by pipeline. 

BOST also has an 8-inch multi-product pipeline linking the Trafigura Conventional Check Buoy Mooring to the Accra Plains Depot. The Company currently has a total storage capacity of 310,000 mt, 415,000 m3 cubic meters distributed across the country as follows: 

The fuel retail market in Ghana is massively diverse. There are 112 different brands operating in the market — and 232 new sites currently under construction are soon to be brought into the mix. 

Kalibrate’s latest market study of all fuel retail outlets in Ghana has revealed that of the 112 brands, only five have more than 2% outlet share. With no particular brands dominating in the region, there is a huge opportunity for a brand with the right strategy to become a leader in the market. 

With 232 new sites under construction across the country, other brands are expanding their networks. Competitors are growing. 85% of Ghana’s 3,499 gas stations are located in the south of the country. 

For more information on government and fuel provider contact details, please see the following links: 4.1 Government Contact List and 4.7 Fuel Providers Contact List.

Fuel Pricing 

The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) was established by an act of Parliament (NPA Act 2005, ACT 691) to regulate the petroleum downstream industry in Ghana. As a Regulator, the Authority ensures that the industry remains efficient, profitable, fair and ensures that consumers receive value for money. It currently boasts of over 5,000 service providers and an annual sale of about US$ 3.92 billion, according to 2020 estimates, which is about 6% of the country’s GDP. 

Since the establishment of the NPA in 2005, the Authority has supervised the acceleration of the petroleum downstream deregulation process, by facilitating the removal of restrictions. In June 2015 the Authority successfully implemented the price liberalization, which involved full decontrol of prices of petroleum products from the Government. Private importers, distributors and retailers are empowered to set ex-refinery and ex-pump prices with no intervention from the Government.  

Seasonal Variations  

There are no seasonal variations affecting the availability of fuel in the country. 

Fuel Transportation 

There are no constraints regarding the transportation of fuel. The current capacity can meet the local needs as well as any increases in demand from the humanitarian community.  

Standards, Quality and Testing 

The Quality Assurance Department is responsible for the quality of refined petroleum products. It was established to monitor the quality of products along the supply chain. The QAD has put in place measures to ensure that all petroleum products supplied in the country meet the National Standards/Specifications on quality.  

A central laboratory has been set up to facilitate the testing of all petroleum products meant for the local market to ensure their good quality. The laboratory, located on the premises of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) at Okponglo in Accra, ensures that all petroleum products to be sold locally are of good and acceptable quality to promote safety. The set-up is a collaboration between the GSA and the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) in support of the implementation of the petroleum products marketing scheme instituted in 2014.