The Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, has indicated that the regulator of the country’s downstream petroleum sector will not compromise on issues of safety and operational excellence in the industry.

The call comes on the back of the Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies holding its 5th Safety and Awareness Week, which kicked off on June 12.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the event—organized on the campus of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA)—the CEO of the NPA, Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, Esq., intimated that since the twin disaster involving fire and petroleum that claimed numerous lives on June 3, 2015, the regulator has taken enhanced steps to ensure that all companies operating in the downstream petroleum sector uphold safety and operational excellence across their stations.

“Since the unfortunate incident of June 3, 2015, that claimed several lives and had a chilling psychological effect on hundreds of families—where the twin disaster of fire and flood decimated several properties and killed others—the NPA, as a matter of critical urgency, has put in place advanced mechanisms and systems to protect the lives and properties of our members and their clients going forward.

“We have revamped our monitoring and evaluation teams across the country and invested in top-notch technological systems that track how well our members adhere to the safety and operational guidelines the Authority has set in place to tackle any unforeseen eventualities.

“The Authority, as part of its moral duty, will not compromise on any of the requirements given to members to implement and, as such, will not hesitate to revoke the licences of industry players who do not follow the rules to the letter.”

Also, the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC), Dr. Riverson Oppong, added that members must not see the Safety and Awareness Week celebrations as merely ceremonial but must show strong commitment to making their stations and business environments safe and conducive—not only for clients but for staff as well.

He noted that COMAC, as a key player in the oil and gas industry and the Ghanaian economy as a whole, must recognize its significant role in the nation’s economic development.

“As we mark this 5th Safety and Awareness Week, let us, the members of COMAC, be aware that we are key contributors to the national economy of Ghana. In that regard, we must uphold all standards of excellence across our operational areas.

“COMAC is a very important player in the economic destiny of our dear country, and we must be willing to collaborate with other stakeholders—such as the NPA, the Ghana Standards Authority, the Ghana Fire Service, and allied bodies—to guarantee a risk-free enterprise for all who seek our services.”We owe it to ourselves as dutiful citizens of this land to continue investing in world-class operations that guarantee the best returns on investment for the industry and the services we support in Ghana’s economic transformation.”

The 5th Safety and Awareness Week celebrations brought together industry players who form the bulk of COMAC’s membership, along with representatives from the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, Ghana Standards Authority, Ghana Fire Service, Ghana Highways Authority, and a host of private sector players to brainstorm on the way forward to guarantee a risk-free business environment for all stakeholders in Ghana’s downstream petroleum industry.

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