BOSTenergies Limited has dismissed concerns that its recent reduction in fuel exports to Burkina Faso and Mali is linked to an impending fuel shortage in Ghana.
The clarification follows a Reuters report quoting BOSTenergies Managing Director, Afetsi Awono, as saying the company was managing its regional export operations to ensure adequate fuel supply for the domestic market.
In a statement, the company said the report created the impression that Ghana was rationing fuel exports to its neighbours because of an expected shortage at home.
BOSTenergies said that was not the case, stressing that “there is no imminent fuel shortage in Ghana, and no cutting of supply has been implemented on this and any other basis.”
The company attributed the reduction in exports mainly to fluctuations in the international market and the ongoing rehabilitation of its Bolgatanga depot, which serves as an important gateway for supplying fuel to the Sahelian market.
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BOSTenergies said the decision had not been influenced by political, security or diplomatic considerations.
Under normal operating conditions, the company transports fuel for regional markets through an integrated network of pipelines and barges linking its depots from southern Ghana to the northern part of the country.
The arrangement allows the company to supply Burkina Faso and Mali while maintaining commercially viable margins, it said.
However, the ongoing rehabilitation of the Bolgatanga depot has affected the company’s ability to operate its normal northern supply route at full capacity.
BOSTenergies said the depot rehabilitation was nearing completion and that it had continued supplying regional markets despite the works.
In the interim, fuel products are being transported from its coastal depot in Tema by Bulk Road Vehicles to meet demand across the country and support regional supplies.
The company said full regional supply capacity would be restored once the Bolgatanga depot rehabilitation is completed.
The development highlights the importance of Ghana’s northern petroleum infrastructure to the country’s growing role as a fuel supply hub for landlocked countries in the Sahel.
A fully operational Bolgatanga depot could reduce the logistical costs and transportation pressures associated with moving petroleum products from the coast to Ghana’s northern border and onward to neighbouring markets.
For Ghanaian businesses, sustained regional fuel exports also create opportunities in haulage, storage, logistics and other downstream petroleum services while generating foreign exchange from the country’s position as a regional supply point.
However, reliance on road transport during the depot rehabilitation could increase logistics costs and place additional pressure on fuel distribution networks.
The completion of the Bolgatanga facility could therefore be significant not only for restoring BOSTenergies’ export capacity but also for strengthening Ghana’s infrastructure for serving the growing energy needs of the Sahelian market.
BOSTenergies said it was working with government and regulatory authorities to accelerate the completion of the rehabilitation and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting regional fuel security through reliable and commercially sustainable supply arrangements.
