Oil companies still selling at old prices

SOME Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) in Accra are still selling their products at the old prices, in spite of the directive by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) to reduce prices, effective November 1, 2008.
A visit by the Daily Graphic to some OMCs yesterday showed that companies that still had the old stock were not willing to sell them to the public at the new prices.
Some of the stations displayed “No petrol” boards even though information the Daily Graphic gathered was that some OMCs were continuing to sell their old stocks to customers at the old prices.
The Supervisor of the Achimota Total Filling Station, Mr Alfred Gyan, told the Daily Graphic that the reason some OMCs were still selling at the old prices was the failure of fitters to expedite action on effecting the new prices on the price boards.
But he stated that his company had complied with the NPA order and was selling at the new prices since it took effect last Saturday.
At the Apenkwa Total Filling Station, the Manager in charge, Mr Eric Ntiamoah, also explained that some of the OMCs, wanted a confirmation before actually selling their products at the new prices.
At the Allied Oil Filling Station at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, an attendant, Mr Eric Dunyo, and the Managing Director of the Circle branch of the Ghana Oil Company (GOIL), Mr Thompson Obeng Anane, in separate interviews, said they had reduced their prices since last Saturday, “even though some are still selling at the old prices”.
Mr Anane complained that Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), over the weekend, did not operate and that, he noted, caused unnecessary tension among the OMCs that went there to take delivery of their products. The case was, however, different from some gas filling stations visited such as Nedrap Gas Company and Amoh Gas Limited, both at Tesano as the new prices were clearly on display there.
Prices of petroleum products were reduced by between eight and 13 per cent, with effect from November 1, 2008.
According to the latest review by the NPA, premium now sells at GH¢1.06 per litre, down from the previous price of approximately GH¢1.18 per litre, representing a decrease of 10.02 per cent.
The price of kerosene is now GH¢1.02 per litre, down from the previous price of approximately GH¢1.13 per litre, representing a decrease of 10.13 per cent.
With respect to gas oil, the price has reduced from GH¢1.20 per litre to approximately GH¢1.09 per litre, representing a decrease of 8.46 per cent, while premix will go down from approximately 73.5p per litre to 66.1p per litre, representing a decrease of 10.02 per cent.
The price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has also been reduced from approximately GH¢1.00 per kilogramme to 91.9p per kilogramme, representing a decrease of 8.49 per cent.