The High Street Journal has gathered that the regulator of the country’s downstream petroleum sector, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) is reviewing its uniform pricing laws and guidelines.
This review follows a public controversy over the selective discounts by some OMCs and a petition by former Minister for Power and former MP, Dr. Kwabena Donkor. The petition was founded on what he described as inconsistencies in the NPA’s pricing guidelines and the Uniform Pricing Policy.
The High Street Journal‘s sources say the regulator has taken notice of the petition. The source further adds that processes have been initiated to examine the issues. However, a final decision is yet to be made.
What Triggered the Petition
The former Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Mines and Energy’s petition stems from his observation that Ghana’s uniform pricing regime, which is designed to ensure the same fuel prices across all retail outlets of a given Oil Marketing Company (OMC), contained contradictions.
These inconsistencies have brought some controversies, which could undermine both consumer protection and fair competition.
Under the core law, the National Petroleum Authority (Prescribed Petroleum Pricing Formula) Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2186), petrol and diesel prices are meant to be uniform across all stations in an OMC’s network nationwide. This is intended to prevent price discrimination and protect motorists regardless of where they live.
However, Donkor’s petition argued that a section within the NPA’s own 2024 Petroleum Products Pricing Guidelines appears to permit individual outlets to offer discounts. This effectively creates different prices within the same network.
In his view, this conflicted with the uniformity principle embedded in the law.
The Crux of the Inconsistency
The pricing guidelines reaffirm that all retail outlets under an OMC must maintain uniform ex-pump prices, as communicated to the NPA.
However, another clause in the same guidelines allows specific outlets to offer discounted prices as long as those prices remain above the regulatory floor.
That duality, Donkor argued, could create different price points across their networks. Such a situation, he explains, violates the spirit of the uniform pricing law and leaves motorists in certain regions disadvantaged.
A Review Underway
Following Dr. Donkor’s petition and some public controversies over OMCs’ selective discounts, The High Street Journal has gathered that the NPA is reviewing its guidelines.
Although no decision has been taken yet, it is expected that any action taken by the regulator will ensure alignment with the law. While no final policy change has been announced, the regulator’s willingness to revisit its framework signals responsiveness to stakeholder concerns.
The Bottomline
As the review progresses, it is anticipated that the outcome could clarify how OMCs apply discounts while remaining compliant with national pricing laws.
The ripple effects could shape how fuel prices are communicated and enforced at the retail level, with implications for consumers across Ghana.
