Petrol retailers in Ghana must charge no less than GH¢14.53 per litre under new minimum ex-pump prices announced by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) for the first pricing window of August.
The revised prices come into effect on Tuesday, August 4, and will remain in force until August 15. The announcement establishes the latest benchmark prices that fuel retailers across the country must observe during the 12-day pricing period.
Diesel has been assigned a minimum ex-pump price of GH¢14.97 per litre, placing it above the new petrol floor. Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), meanwhile, has been set at GH¢11.06 per kilogramme.
The NPA has also issued minimum prices for other petroleum products. Marine Gas Oil (MGO Local) will have a floor of GH¢16.08 per litre, while kerosene has been set at GH¢14.46 per litre.
In a statement released on August 3, the Authority instructed all Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and LPG Marketing Companies (LPGMCs) to comply with the approved rates throughout the pricing window.
The NPA stressed, however, that the published figures are minimum ex-pump price floors rather than final prices that must apply uniformly at every retail outlet. The stated floors do not include several additional charges and margins that may be applied within the petroleum supply and distribution chain.
Those exclusions include premiums charged by International Oil Trading Companies (IOTCs), operating margins applied by Bulk Import, Distribution and Export Companies (BIDECs), and the margins of marketers and dealers working with OMCs and LPGMCs.
The Authority said those extra cost elements would continue to be determined separately by the relevant companies and industry participants. Their decisions must remain consistent with the Petroleum Product Pricing Guidelines (PPPG), according to the NPA.
The new schedule therefore provides the minimum benchmark for each listed product while leaving the additional components of the final pump price to the respective players in the supply and retail chain.
For the August pricing window, the announced floors are:
– Petrol: GH¢14.53 per litre
– Diesel: GH¢14.97 per litre
– LPG: GH¢11.06 per kilogramme
– Marine Gas Oil (MGO Local): GH¢16.08 per litre
– Kerosene: GH¢14.46 per litre
The NPA’s directive applies for the period beginning Tuesday, August 4, and ending August 15. OMCs and LPGMCs are required to operate within the approved framework while setting prices that account for the separately determined premiums, operating margins, and marketer and dealer margins.
