Rubis filling station tank explosion has claimed the life of a 41-year-old boilermaker from Kitwe, the Daily Mail has reported.
The victim, James Banda, died on Sunday morning at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Kitwe Teaching Hospital (KTH), where he had been receiving treatment following the incident.
According to the report, Mr. Banda was engaged on Friday around 15:00 hours to work on an underground fuel tank at the station located opposite Mukuba Pension House.
The report stated that the victim was grinding the underground petrol tank when fire came into contact with the fuel, triggering an explosion.
Copperbelt Province Police Commanding Officer Mwala Yuyi said the blast left Mr. Banda with severe burns and fractured hands. He added that the explosion also damaged the grinder he was using, as well as the iron sheets of the shelter at the filling station.
Mr. Yuyi said the victim was rushed to KTH, where he remained under treatment until he passed away.
Renovation works at the filling station have since been halted, with residents expressing concern over the safety of workers at the facility.
Ghana’s indigenous oil marketing company, GOIL PLC, has hosted a three-member delegation from the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) at the company’s head office in Accra, the capital of Ghana.
The JETRO team was led by its Director-General, Mr. Tsubasa Nakagawa.
Discussions focused on potential collaboration in the development of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage infrastructure and the rollout of electric vehicle (EV) charging points across GOIL’s extensive nationwide service station network.
Welcoming the delegation, the Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of GOIL PLC, Mr. Edward Abambire Bawa, emphasized the company’s commitment to infrastructure development that delivers sustainability, quality, and value for money to consumers. He noted that strong international partnerships remain critical to advancing Ghana’s evolving energy landscape and supporting the country’s transition to cleaner and more efficient energy solutions.
JETRO is a Japanese government-related organization that promotes trade and investment between Japan and the rest of the world. It supports Japanese companies seeking international partnerships and facilitates foreign direct investment, technology transfer, and industrial cooperation across sectors including energy, manufacturing, and infrastructure development.
The engagement signals growing interest in Ghana’s energy infrastructure modernization and highlights opportunities for collaboration between Japanese firms and GOIL in areas that support energy security and sustainable mobility.
Ghana’s downstream petroleum regulator, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), is urging the public to remain calm over the potential impact of rising Middle East tensions on domestic fuel supply, assuring that the country currently has adequate petroleum stocks to last more than five weeks.
According to the regulator, Ghana has petrol reserves sufficient for five weeks and diesel stocks that can last six weeks.
“As of last Friday, we have diesel stocks to last us over five weeks — roughly 5.3 weeks. And for petrol, we have almost 6.8 weeks,” Abass Ibrahim Tasunti, Director of Economic Regulation and Planning at the NPA, told Accra-based Joy News.
The US–Israeli coordinated attack on Iran, a member of the oil cartel OPEC, has disrupted oil shipments, triggering a surge in global oil prices over the weekend.
Many oil-importing countries fear the situation could lead to fuel shortages and sharp hikes in pump prices, prompting them to put in place measures to mitigate the potential fallout.
Mr. Tasunti stressed that Ghana’s current fuel stock levels are not a response to the unfolding crisis but part of the NPA’s routine mandate to ensure uninterrupted supply.
“Even without this war, we always ensure that we have a plan to make petroleum products available for consumers in the country. So this is not something being done because of the war; it is something we do regularly. It is one of NPA’s major mandates,” he explained.
He added that the Authority oversees the daily discharge of imported petroleum products, while domestic production also contributes to supply.
He noted that the Sentuo Oil Refinery has been consistently producing since June 2025, supplying petroleum products to the local market. Additionally, the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant continues to produce and distribute liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
Mr. Tasunti further revealed that several vessels are currently waiting to discharge at the Tema Anchorage, including two cargoes of diesel and two cargoes of petrol, with additional imports already scheduled.
While assuring the public of supply stability, the NPA acknowledged that Ghana—being a net importer of petroleum products—will inevitably feel the effects of global oil market disruptions.
Qatar has halted its production of liquefied natural gas on Monday, as Iran continued to strike Gulf countries in retaliation for Israeli and U.S strikes against it, prompting precautionary shutdowns of oil and gas facilities across the Middle East.
Qatari LNG production is equivalent to about 20% of global supply and plays a major role in balancing both Asian and European markets’ demand for the fuel.
As a wave of attacks in the Middle East stretched into a third day, they also resulted in the suspension of operations at Saudi Arabia’s biggest domestic oil refinery after a drone strike, most oil production in Iraqi Kurdistan and several Israeli gas fields, throttling exports to Egypt.
State-owned QatarEnergy, 82% of whose clients are Asian, was set to declare force majeure on its LNG shipments after Iranian drone attacks on facilities in the sprawling Ras Laffan complex. The complex hosts Qatar’s gas trains — massive processing units that supercool natural gas into liquid form for export by ship.
Drones also hit the Mesaieed industrial zone in Qatar’s south that lies far from the gas fields but is home to petrochemical and manufacturing facilities.
Natural gas prices soared with the benchmark European price, the Dutch front-month contract at the TTF hub, up 46% as of 1426 GMT.
Oil prices jumped as much as 13% intraday to above $82 a barrel, the highest since January 2025, as the conflict ground shipping to a near halt in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil supply flows.
State oil giant Saudi Aramco’s 550,000 barrels per day (bpd) Ras Tanura refinery, which was shut as a precautionary measure according to an industry source, is part of an energy complex on the kingdom’s Gulf coast which also serves as a critical export terminal for Saudi crude oil.
In Iraqi Kurdistan, which exported 200,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) via pipeline to Turkey’s Ceyhan port in February, companies including DNO, Gulf Keystone Petroleum, Dana Gas, and HKN Energy have stopped output at their fields as a precaution, with no damage reported.
Offshore Israel, the Israeli government instructed Chevron to temporarily shut down the giant Leviathan gas field where it is in the process of expanding capacity to around 21 billion cubic metres a year as part of a $35 billion export deal to Egypt. A spokesperson for Chevron, which also operates the Tamar gas field offshore Israel, said its facilities were safe.
Energean shut down its production vessel serving smaller Israeli gas fields.
In Iran, explosions were heard on Saturday in Kharg Island, which processes 90% of Iran’s crude exports. It was unclear how the facilities were impacted.
Iran, the third largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumps about 4.5% of global oil supplies. Iran’s output is about 3.3 million barrels per day of crude, plus 1.3 million bpd of condensate and other liquids.
Global oil prices rose early Monday morning after at least three oil vessels were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, as Iran continues to launch strikes across the Middle East in response to ongoing attacks by the US and Israel, the BBC reported.
Two vessels were struck, and an “unknown projectile” reportedly “exploded in very close proximity” to a third oil tanker, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO).
Iran, a member of the OPEC oil cartel, closed the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend. The strait is a critical waterway through which around 20% of the world’s oil and gas is shipped.
International shipping has almost come to a standstill at the strait’s entrance, with analysts warning that a prolonged conflict could push energy prices even higher.
In early trading in Asia on Monday, global oil prices jumped by more than 10% before those gains eased later in the morning.
At 02:00 GMT, Brent crude was more than 4% higher at $76.16 (£56.53) a barrel, while US-traded oil was also up by around 4% at $69.67.
“The market isn’t panicking,” Saul Kavonic, head of energy research at MST Research, told the BBC.
“There is more clarity that, so far, oil transport and production infrastructure haven’t been primary targets by any side,” he added.
“The market will be watching for signs that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz returns, which would see oil prices subside again.”
However, some analysts have warned that prices could exceed $100 per barrel in the event of a prolonged conflict.
On Sunday, the OPEC+ group of oil-producing nations — which includes Saudi Arabia and Russia — agreed to increase output by 206,000 barrels per day to help cushion any price rises.
File photo of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which has now ground to a halt
However, some experts doubt this would have a significant impact.
Edmund King, president of the AA, warned that the disruption could drive up petrol prices worldwide.
“The turmoil and bombing across the Middle East will surely disrupt global oil distribution, which will inevitably lead to price hikes,” he said.
“The magnitude and duration of pump price increases depend on how long the conflict continues.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said three tankers from the UK and US had been “struck by missiles and are burning.”
The UKMTO reported “multiple security incidents” across the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman and has advised ships to “transit with caution.”
At least 150 tankers have dropped anchor in open Gulf waters beyond the Strait of Hormuz, although a handful of Iranian and Chinese vessels have passed through, according to ship-tracking platform Kpler.
“Because of Iran’s threats, the strait is effectively closed,” Homayoun Falakshahi of Kpler told the BBC.
“Vessels have taken precautionary measures not to enter, as the risks are too high and insurance costs have skyrocketed.”
He added that the US would likely try to protect shipping routes, which, if effective, could prevent a major oil price spike. However, if the strait remains closed for an extended period, prices could go “much, much higher.”
Zambia’s Energy Regulation Board (ERB) has reduced fuel prices following an appreciation of the local currency, the Kwacha.
The ERB noted that since the last price review on 31 January 2026, international prices for petrol, diesel, kerosene, and Jet A-1 have all increased.
According to the ERB, petrol rose by 4.22% from US$67.47/bbl to US$70.32/bbl, diesel increased by 7.85% from US$76.89/bbl to US$84.74/bbl, while kerosene/Jet A-1 went up by 6.70% from US$78.68/bbl to US$83.95/bbl.
Domestically, however, the Kwacha appreciated by 4.17% against the US dollar in February 2026, strengthening from an average of K19.80/US$ at the beginning of the month to K18.98/US$ by month-end.
As a result, the ERB has revised pump prices downward. Petrol has been reduced from K27.88/litre to K26.61/litre, diesel from K24.50/litre to K23.25/litre, kerosene from K22.24/litre to K21.06/litre, and Jet A-1 from K23.80/litre to K22.39/litre.
Three oil tankers have been damaged off the Gulf coast following U.S.–Israel airstrikes on Iran on Saturday, Reuters reported, citing officials of the shipping association BIMCO.
Iran on Saturday announced it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical channel for global shipments of oil, gas, and other goods.
“The U.S.–Israeli attack on Iran dramatically increases the security risk to ships operating in the Persian Gulf and adjacent waters,” said Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer at BIMCO, as quoted by Reuters. “Ships with business connections to U.S. or Israeli interests are more likely to be targeted, but other ships may also be targeted deliberately or in error.”
A Palau-flagged oil tanker under U.S. sanctions was struck on Sunday off the Musandam peninsula in Oman, injuring four people, according to the country’s maritime security centre, which did not specify the source of the strike.
The Marshall Islands-flagged crude oil tanker MKD VYOM was also hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman while carrying cargo, two maritime security sources said. One source noted the vessel was struck 44.4 nautical miles northwest of Muscat.
The British maritime agency UKMTO said a laden merchant vessel reported an explosion in the same area.
In the Jebel Ali Port in the United Arab Emirates, a separate tanker narrowly escaped damage after debris fell from an aerial interception during overnight Iranian attacks targeting Gulf states, maritime security sources said. A third oil-bunkering tanker was also damaged off the UAE coast, according to two shipping sources.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration warned vessels to keep clear of the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Gulf of Oman due to potential Iranian retaliatory strikes.
“Any U.S.-flagged, owned, or crewed commercial vessels operating in these areas should maintain a standoff of 30 nautical miles from U.S. military vessels to reduce the risk of being mistaken as a threat,” the administration said.
Security sources also warned of the potential deployment of naval mines by Iranian forces in the narrow lanes of the Strait of Hormuz. According to earlier Reuters reporting, Iranian forces loaded naval mines onto vessels in the Persian Gulf in June, raising concerns in Washington that Tehran was preparing to enforce a blockade.
Maritime industry sources said they expect war-risk insurance premiums to surge when underwriters reassess cover on Monday. War-risk insurance is mandatory for operating in designated danger zones, and the Lloyd’s of London market already classifies Iran, the Gulf, and parts of the Gulf of Oman as high-risk regions.
Fuel prices are set for a marginal increase in the first pricing window of March, which begins on March 1, according to projections by the Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC).
The price of petrol (PMS) is projected to rise by 2.89% per litre, while diesel is expected to increase by 0.86% per litre.
However, the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is expected to decrease by 0.44%.
The projected changes are largely driven by rising international petroleum product prices, with petrol increasing by 4.58%, gasoil rising by 1.66%, and LPG falling by 1.05%.
On the domestic front, the local currency, the cedi, appreciated marginally against major international trading currencies, strengthening from GHS 11.099 to GHS 11.049 per US dollar, representing a 0.45% gain.
This movement comes amid ongoing efforts by the Ghana government and the Bank of Ghana to stabilise the foreign exchange market through monetary tightening and improved forex inflows from exports.
During the last pricing window of February, the average pump price of petrol was GH¢11.05 per litre, diesel was GH¢12.31 per litre, while Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) sold at GH¢12.16 per kilogram. The adjustments reflected global crude oil price movements and shifts in the international refined products market.
Oil marketing companies will, from tomorrow, begin adjusting pump prices to align with prevailing market conditions and the latest pricing indicators.
For the first pricing window of March, the regulator has set the price floor at GH¢10.46 per litre for petrol, GH¢11.42 per litre for diesel, and GH¢9.38 per kilogram for LPG. These benchmarks are part of measures aimed at ensuring fair pricing and market stability within the downstream petroleum sector
The Board of the Bui Power Authority (BPA), Ghana’s second-largest state-owned power generation company, has paid a working visit to its 50MW peak solar photovoltaic (PV) project under construction at Galigu in Yendi in the Northern Region to assess progress of work.
The project contractor briefed the Board on developments so far, including the installation of ground-mounted solar panels, construction of a 5km access road, and development of staff accommodation.
Board Chairman Ambassador Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo stressed the need for the contractor to strictly adhere to the project schedule, noting the Authority’s target to commission 35MW under Phase I of the 50MWp project by May 2026, in line with the vision of President John Dramani Mahama.
He emphasised that meeting the deadline is non-negotiable, given the project’s role in strengthening supply to the national grid and supporting economic growth in Northern Ghana.
Prior to the site visit, the Board members, including Acting Chief Executive Officer Ing. Ekow Eduakwa Sam, paid a courtesy call on the King and Overlord of the Dagbon Traditional Area, Yaa Naa Abukari II, at the Gbewaa Palace in Yendi as part of their familiarisation tour of the Authority’s key projects in the region.
Welcoming the delegation, the Yaa Naa noted that consistent engagement between public institutions and traditional authorities is vital to the success of major infrastructure projects.
He reiterated that northern Ghana has strong potential to serve as the country’s solar power generation hub, citing its abundant solar resources, high irradiation levels and strategic location.
He also expressed confidence in the leadership of the BPA Board, management and staff, acknowledging their efforts to expand Ghana’s renewable energy capacity and improve energy security.
The Board further paid a courtesy call on the Galgu Naa, who encouraged the Authority to make every effort to complete the Yendi Solar Power Project on schedule to deliver the expected benefits to Yendi and the country at large.
Scores of residents in Lagos, Nigeria, from Waterfront Estate, Sekumade Estate and NBC Community in the Ebute area of Ikorodu, took to the streets on Friday to protest what they described as eight months of total blackout in their communities, The Punch reported.
According to the report, the protesters converged on the Ikorodu Business District office of Ikeja Electric, barricading the entrance and preventing movement in and out of the premises for several hours.
The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions, including: “IKEDC! You are supposed to be an agent of light, not an agent of darkness,” “Eight months in darkness. Enough is enough. Restore our light,” and “We burn fuel to run generators for months,” as residents lamented the hardship the prolonged outage has imposed on them.
According to the residents, the area has been in darkness since August 2025 after the only transformer serving the three estates developed a fault and was not replaced.
They said several attempts to engage officials of the distribution company had yielded no tangible results.
Some of the protesters accused the utility of insensitivity, saying the demonstration became inevitable after months of unfulfilled promises.
“Before we came out to protest, we had two meetings with officials of Ikeja Electric so that our transformer could be fixed or replaced, but nothing was done. What they have done is pay lip service to our plight. Our women, alongside our councillor, even visited their Alausa head office in January for another meeting. They promised to get back to us in three weeks, but as I speak to you, they have not,” one protester said, as quoted by Punch.
“At this point, we told ourselves that enough is enough. Our businesses and means of livelihood have collapsed because of the situation. The few privileged ones among us who can afford fuel for their generators are doing so at a huge cost,” the protester added.
During the protest, an official of the company attempted to address the crowd, but the residents insisted on speaking only with the Business Manager of the Ikorodu district.
Although the manager reportedly arrived at the premises, he left shortly after without addressing the protesters, further heightening tensions.
However, a senior company official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press, later addressed the aggrieved residents.
He expressed sympathy over their ordeal and regretted that previous engagements had not produced the desired outcome.
The official explained that repairing or replacing faulty transformers requires adherence to laid-down procedures, which can be time-consuming.
“We are putting in the effort to ensure that power is restored to your estates as soon as possible. I know you would only appreciate the result, not the effort, but it is not our happiness that you are in darkness. We are also losing money as a company because of the situation. The truth is, there are about 300 faulty transformers across Ikorodu currently in our workshop, and we can only fix or replace them one at a time,” he told the press.
He, however, assured residents that efforts would be fast-tracked and promised to liaise with the company’s head office to provide a clear timeline for the restoration of electricity.
The official further pledged to meet with representatives of the protesting communities on Thursday, March 5, to provide feedback on steps taken to resolve the crisis.
Global energy markets face one of their gravest shocks in decades as joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory missile attacks across the Gulf disrupt oil exports from the world’s most important producing region.
The scale of the disruption will likely be determined by the duration of the conflict, but for now the threat and the uncertainty are already enough to severely impact flows from the region that accounts for 20% of global oil supplies.
Barring a swift resolution, oil prices will likely see steep increases when trading opens on Monday morning. Benchmark Brent crude oil prices rose in recent weeks to around $70 a barrel, their highest since August 2025 as investors braced for military confrontation in the Middle East.
The United States and Israel carried out military strikes on Iran on Saturday, targeting senior leaders and plunging the Middle East into a widening conflict.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the attacks would eliminate a security threat to the United States and give Iranians an opportunity to topple their rulers.
For now, there is no confirmed damage to oil and gas infrastructure from retaliatory Iranian strikes.
Explosions were reported in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, two major oil exporters.
Meanwhile, Qatar, the world’s second-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, said it intercepted missiles aimed at the country.
Blasts were also heard in Bahrain and near Iran’s Kharg Island, the terminal through which about 90% of its crude exports normally flow, although shipping data suggests Tehran had transferred most of the oil stored there onto tankers in recent days.
Crucially, there have so far been no reports of disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that handles nearly 20 million barrels per day of crude oil and refined products.
CAUTION MEANS DISRUPTION
But the absence of physical damage may not matter much.
The risk that tankers could be stranded inside the Gulf, north of Hormuz, or that vessels could be targeted, is already enough to force producers, traders and shippers to rethink movements of oil and LNG.
Reuters has reported that some oil majors and trading houses have suspended shipments through the strait for several days.
That caution is unlikely to ease until there is far greater confidence in the safety of the region’s sea lanes.
Tanker freight rates, which had already been climbing as tensions escalated, are set to rise further.
Benchmark rates for very large crude carriers from the Middle East to China have more than tripled since the start of the year, reflecting both heightened risk and the shrinking pool of willing vessels.
The key questions now are whether energy infrastructure will be directly targeted and how quickly the U.S. military can secure shipping routes across the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
It is worth noting that the Strait of Hormuz has never been fully blocked.
While Iran is unlikely to sustain a prolonged blockade, it has the capability to disrupt traffic temporarily.
The U.S. Navy would almost certainly respond swiftly, but even short-lived attacks or mine-laying operations could have outsized effects on prices and supply.
Such tactics would not be unprecedented. During the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, Iran attacked commercial shipping and U.S. naval vessels, prompting President Ronald Reagan to deploy U.S. forces to escort tankers in Operation Earnest Will.
More recently, in late 2007 and early 2008, there were repeated confrontations between Iranian and U.S. naval forces. And in April 2023, Iran’s navy seized the Advantage Sweet crude tanker, chartered by Chevron, in the Gulf of Oman. The vessel was released more than a year later.
GLOBAL SUPPLY CUSHION
The global oil market is relatively well supplied today, after production from the United States, Brazil, Canada and other countries rose in recent years.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, has also not sat idle in the face of the risk to supply.
In recent days the kingdom increased crude shipments, which are set to exceed 7 million barrels per day in February, the highest since April 2023, according to shipping analytics firm Kpler.
OPEC+, which comprises the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies like Russia, is expected to agree on an output increase during a meeting on Sunday.
Of course, disruptions to export routes from the Middle East could negate much of the production increases from regional producers, though Saudi and the UAE have some alternative export routes.
The scale of the U.S. and Israeli strikes, and Trump’s language, suggest Washington is bracing for a sustained military campaign aimed at severely weakening Iran’s leadership.
How threatened Iran’s leadership feels may determine whether it escalates further by attacking a broader range of targets across the region, including oilfields, export terminals and processing facilities.
But even without that worst-case scenario, the conflict is already set to disrupt vital energy supplies from the Middle East in ways not seen for decades.
The Israeli Energy Ministry has ordered the temporary shutdown of parts of the country’s natural gas reservoirs after Israel and the United States on Iran on Saturday.
The Leviathan gas field offshore Israel, operated by Chevron has been shut down, three sources told Reuters.
Energean’s production vessel that serves several Israeli fields has also been shut down, the company said in a statement.
Israel’s ministry said the decision was based on “the current situation and in accordance with security assessments”.
It said country’s energy needs would be met through alternative sources and that the electricity sector was prepared to operate power stations using alternative fuels if necessary.
Chevron directed a request for comment to the ministry, which declined to specify which fields were affected.
Ghana in 2025 connected 200 rural communities to the national electricity grid, pushing the West African nation’s overall electricity access rate to 89.05%.
Delivering the State of the Nation Address on Friday in Parliament, Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama, announced that an additional 200 rural communities would be connected to the national grid.
According to the President, electrification projects are currently at various stages of completion in 100 communities.
He said the government remains committed to ensuring that every Ghanaian has access to reliable and affordable electricity.
Ghana stands tall in West Africa as the country with the highest electricity access rate.
The Zambia Association of Consumers (ZACA) has joined the ongoing electricity meter verification exercise, this portal can report.
Executives of the association on Friday were seen accompanying officials from the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) as they visited homes on the Copperbelt to conduct a thorough assessment of electricity meters in the area.
The ERB is leading a team comprising the Zambia Metrology Agency (ZMA) and ZESCO Limited to verify electricity meters following complaints of rapidly depleting prepaid units.
Mr Peter Nsemiwe, ZACA Copperbelt Coordinator, joined the verification team in Kitwe.
The exercise follows nationwide complaints by consumers that their prepaid meter credit is running out faster than expected.
Earlier this month, Energy Minister Makozo Chikote directed the ERB to investigate the claims and submit a report.
In recent weeks, many households across Zambia have raised concerns over what they describe as unusually fast depletion of prepaid electricity units, prompting calls for regulatory intervention.
Consumer groups have demanded transparency in meter accuracy, billing systems and tariff application.
The verification exercise is aimed at testing the accuracy, calibration and compliance of prepaid meters to ensure customers are billed correctly and to restore public confidence in the country’s metering system.
Authorities say findings from the inspections will inform further action, including possible technical adjustments or policy measures where necessary.
