Sahara Group has urged journalists to explain the infrastructure, policies, companies and market forces shaping the energy sector to improve public understanding of current and emerging energy issues.
Speaking at Sahara’s Thought Leadership and Knowledge-Sharing Session for energy reporters in Ghana, Bethel Obioma, the group’s head of corporate communications, said journalists should adopt a systematic approach to reporting.
Before publishing, reporters should establish what happened, identify the relevant segment of the energy value chain and its regulator, verify figures and dates, consult credible sources and simplify technical issues without distorting them, he said.
They should also explain what developments mean for consumers, industry and energy security.
“Energy reporting must go beyond announcing production figures, pump-price adjustments, or new infrastructure. The real value lies in helping the public understand what the numbers mean, what drives them and how decisions across the value chain affect supply, affordability, investment, and everyday life,” Obioma said.
The session, held at the newly commissioned Asharami Ghana LPG Storage Facility in Tema, was themed “Beyond the Barrels: The Energy Story Behind the Story”.
It examined the petroleum value chain, from resource discovery and production through trading, refining, transportation, storage, marketing and retail. Discussions highlighted how decisions at one stage can affect prices, supply and consumers further along the chain.
The session aimed to deepen journalists’ understanding of the sector and strengthen their ability to explain complex energy developments clearly.
Sahara Group operates in Africa, Europe and the Middle East.
Michael Creg Afful, executive director of Energy News Africa Ltd., a pan-African energy news organisation, urged journalists to examine the stories behind energy statistics. Figures become meaningful only when accompanied by clear dates, units, sources and context, he said.
He challenged reporters to distinguish between operators, partners, service companies and licence holders, understand the roles of upstream, midstream and downstream regulators, build credible expert networks and verify technical claims before publication.
Dr. Riverson Oppong, chief executive officer of Ghana’s Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies, urged journalists to look beyond pump-price changes and examine the international and domestic factors that determine what consumers pay.
Oppong identified liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), electric vehicle charging, digital platforms, strategic partnerships and data analytics as areas reporters should increasingly understand as petroleum businesses adapt to changing energy demand.
He said affordability, supply security, market discipline and readiness for the energy transition would shape the competitiveness and sustainability of Ghana’s downstream sector.
Obioma urged journalists to approach energy stories with curiosity, accuracy and a commitment to continually improving their knowledge of the sector.
“Beyond the barrels means giving the public not only what happened, but the context, causes and implications behind it. Our responsibility as communicators and journalists is to make an increasingly complex energy industry understandable without sacrificing accuracy,” he said.
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