Ghana’s petroleum downstream regulator, National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has implemented strategies to eliminate a huge jump in the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) due to the implementation of the Cylinder Recirculation Model (CRM).
One of the strategies is the introduction of a tender programme for the importation of LPG, which has significantly reduced the premium on the purchase of LPG.
The programme has brought down the price of LPG from US$100 per metric tonne (MT) to US$30 MT, saving Ghana US$70 MT which would be used for investment in cylinders and bottling plants under the CRM.
The Bono Regional Manager of the NPA, Mr. Kwadwo Odarno Appiah, gave the information at the Bono Regional version of the NPA town hall meetings on CRM in Sunyani, the Bono Regional capital, on Thursday.
He said NPA would continue to engage the Ministry of Finance to consider the removal of certain taxes to reduce the price of LPG to make it affordable for all.
Mr. Appiah said Ghanaians would begin to exchange their old cylinders for new ones under the CRM in the coming weeks.
The meeting, which brought together hundreds of people, was aimed at sensitising the public on the implementation of the CRM.
It was also to update and educate them about the policy and its intended purposes and solicit their support in the implementation of the policy.
Mr Appiah said the NPA had had several engagements with service providers, industry experts and external stakeholders to ensure successful implementation.
He said they had also conducted several consumer sensitisation campaigns and programmes to educate the public on CRM and the safe use of LPG in general.
Mr Appiah urged Ghanaians to patronise the implementation of the CRM to avoid smoke-related diseases.
He said a recent study showed that about 18,000 people in the country die yearly from the use of unclean fuels.
Mr Appiah said the smoke from cooking with firewood and charcoal caused several diseases to its users particularly women, who always spend hours in the kitchen cooking.
“The smoke also makes them weak and when used over a long period affects their eyes,” he said.
Mr Appiah said the smoke also affected the world in general because it destroyed the air people breathe in and caused global warming especially as most trees had been felled.
“Let us embrace the model and ensure our safety, switching from charcoal and firewood to gas for a better, healthier life,” he said,
Mr Appiah said the cooking style in Ghana and most parts of Africa has put the lives of women in danger, because of the smoke they inhale from firewood and charcoal.
He said it was for that reason that the government has always promoted LPG as a cleaner, safer and healthier alternative fuel for cooking since it does not produce smoke.
Mr Appiah said though acquiring firewood is free, they (users) should be mindful that the diseases the smoke would bring to them could cost them their lives, which makes it more expensive than LPG or any other fuel.
He said the NPA’s immediate target was to achieve 50 per cent access by 2030 and explained that under the model, consumers would not own cylinders.
Mr Appiah said anyone who wished to use LPG could walk to a cylinder exchange point, register and gain access to the cylinder to use, stressing that “consumers will only pay for the LPG.”
He said the government considered several issues that had created barriers to people using LPG and had come up with CRM.
He urged the LPG marketing companies and dealers in the region to embrace CRM, as it would improve their operations and give them access to more consumers, increase jobs and create value in the process.
He said the NPA had put measures in place to serve all communities with LPG without having to travel long distances.
The Bono Regional Minister, Ms Justina Owusu-Banahene, said they needed to take pragmatic steps to ensure that the adverse effects of the charcoal and firewood were brought to the barest minimum if not eradicated.
She said the use of firewood and charcoal had adverse effects on the forest’s resources and the entire ecosystem.
Ms Owusu-Banahene urged the public to support the government’s efforts to ensure that the majority of Ghanaians have access to safe, clean and environmentally friendly LPG.
The Sunyanihenmaa, Nana Akosua Dua Asor Sika Brayie II, commended the NPA for the sensitisation and urged the Authority to continue to educate the public on CRM.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com