Ghana’s Minister for Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has assured players in the country’s petroleum downstream sector that the Ministry will work to provide the necessary space and support for the sector to play a strategic role in the development of the country.
He gave the assurance on Tuesday during separate meetings with the executives of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ Union and the Tanker Owners’ Union at the Ministry.
The Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ Union and Tanker Owners’ Union have been lamenting over some unresolved concerns which, they said was impacting negatively on their operations.
In November 2020, Gas Tanker Drivers’ Union withdrew their services, accusing the downstream regulator, NPA, of failing to address some issues of concern.
They, among other things, complained about police harassment at checkpoints and NPA’s lack of adherence to a 2017 Memorandum of Understanding signed by stakeholders on condition of service for tanker drivers and their mates.
They also complained about the non-compliance of transit losses and refusal of the depot operators to abide by the 20 degrees Celsius loading temperature requirement.
These issues still remained unresolved.
In a Facebook comment sighted by energynewsafrica.com, the Energy Minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for South Manhyia in the Ashanti Region, wrote: “This morning, I held separate meetings with the executives of the Tanker Drivers’ Union and the Tanker Owners’ Union. The two unions called on me to formally welcome me to the energy sector and to discuss a few issues that are relevant to their operations.
“In both meetings, I emphasised the importance of tanker operations to the petroleum downstream industry, and urged the two to continue working together to find common ground to ensure stable supply of petroleum products. I was happy to receive assurances from the two unions that they will do their best to keep the industry moving,’’ his post read.
“The Energy Ministry will continue to provide the necessary space and support to the petroleum downstream industry to ensure that it continues to play its strategic role in the development of the nation,” the post ended.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com