By A delegation from Tanzania visited Ghana to study the operations of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) in the petroleum downstream sector.
During their five-day visit, officials from the Tanzanian Ministry of Energy and the fuel agency focused on understanding NPA’s effective regulation and administration of the petroleum downstream industry. They found Ghana’s approach to be convenient, cost-effective, and worthy of emulation.
The delegation was in Ghana from Monday, March 18, 2024, to Friday, March 22, 2024. They were warmly received by Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, the Chief Executive of the NPA, at an opening session held on Monday at the NPA headquarters.
The event was attended by the Deputy Chief Executive, Perry Okudzeto, Directors, Heads of Department, and several staff members of the Authority.
In his welcoming address, the Chief Executive expressed his delight in hosting the delegation and assured them of the NPA’s eagerness and preparedness to share its experience with them.
He specifically highlighted the administration of the Unified Petroleum Price Fund (UPPF) as a key area of interest for the Tanzanian visitors.
Additionally, he emphasized that the Authority had made all necessary arrangements to ensure that their five-day visit, including the planned field tours, would be both valuable and worthwhile.
On his part, the Head of the delegation, Msafiri Mtepe of the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority, Tanzania, commended the Authority for the warm reception.
He expressed optimism that they would, indeed, have the best learning experience on the Ghanaian model of petroleum regulation, which he said, has become the envy of many countries in Africa and beyond.
He emphasized that the main purpose of their study visit was to understand the successful implementation of Ghana’s Unified Petroleum Price Scheme and other pricing mechanisms.
Throughout their time in Ghana and interactions with the NPA, numerous formal engagements and sessions were conducted with technical experts from the Authority. These discussions covered various topics relating to Ghana’s petroleum value chain.
There were presentations on various subjects including Ghana’s pricing policy objectives, the Unified Petroleum Price Fund (UPPF), legal framework for petroleum regulation among others.
The delegation, whilst in Ghana, visited the Ministry of Energy where they were taken through Ghana’s petroleum downstream policies.
They were received by the Chief Director, Mrs. Wilhelmina Asamoah, on behalf of the Minister of Energy.
The delegation also embarked on field visitations to the BOST terminals in Tema and Akosombo to acquaint themselves with some of the practical operations of NPA and other key actors in Ghana’s petroleum downstream.
