Accra, Ghana – 23rd June 2025 – The Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) expresses deep concern and disappointment over the persistent disruption of the Laycan import programme and calls on the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition to act swiftly to safeguard the integrity of Ghana’s fuel import system.
The Laycan schedule, developed through multi-stakeholder consultations and published by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), provides a framework for the efficient and orderly importation of petroleum products. However, in 2025 alone, the schedule was revised more than four (4) times in the first quarter (Q1) and amended seven (7) times in the second quarter (Q2), arbitrarily and without consultation with the industry.
These frequent and unilateral changes have severely undermined operational predictability and imposed significant financial burdens on Bulk Import, Distribution, and Export Companies (BIDECs). It is important to note that each revision affects up to ten cargoes, causing cumulative delays of approximately thirty days per incident. Between January and June 2025, BIDECs incurred over forty million United States dollars (USD 40 mn) in demurrage and other associated costs. These unnecessary costs were unfortunately filtered into fuel prices at the pump, further burdening Ghanaian consumers.
More alarming is the increasing violation and repeated breach of the Laycan protocol, where BIDECs without assigned slots, often citing vaguely defined “emergency” needs, are being permitted to berth outside the established schedule. This practice has severely compromised transparency and fairness in the sector. Alarmingly, for the first time, a second-quarter (Q2) Laycan schedule has been extended into the third quarter, up to September 2025, further escalating uncertainty within the industry.
Despite CBOD’s engagements and repeated proposals to the NPA to restore order and accountability to the Laycan system, no concrete action has been taken. The situation continues to deteriorate.
A DIRECT VIOLATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE
In a formal petition to the Presidency dated 12th June 2025, CBOD highlighted the damaging impact of these disruptions on price stability and operational efficiency. The President subsequently instructed the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition to act immediately. However, on 23rd June 2025, the NPA authorised the berthing and discharge of the vessel MT Marlin Ametrine, directly contravening the official Laycan schedule and the President’s directive.
This action is a serious affront to regulatory integrity and undermines the progress made in the industry in recent years. Allowing this vessel to berth outside the agreed schedule sets a dangerous precedent and risks delegitimising the entire scheduling framework on which the nation’s fuel security depends.
CBOD investigations suggest this operation is being facilitated by a group of Nigerian traders, recently displaced by the Dangote Oil Refinery, who are allegedly operating through politically connected intermediaries in Ghana. This represents a flagrant attempt to circumvent established protocols for narrow selfish interests, to the detriment of national energy security and market stability.
IMPACT ON THE GHANAIAN CONSUMER
Each unauthorised berthing introduces logistical confusion, increases demurrage costs, and distorts fuel pricing. CBOD estimates that Laycan-related inefficiencies contributed between GHS 0.47 and GHS 0.60 per litre to the rise in fuel prices between January and May 2025. These are unfair and avoidable costs borne by Ghanaian consumers.
CALL TO ACTION
CBOD will not remain silent while regulatory systems are weakened and national interests disregarded. We demand the following immediate actions:
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BIDECs without officially assigned Laycans must be restricted. Entities responsible for disruptions must bear all associated financial penalties.
2. Any changes to the Laycan schedule must follow prior consultation with the Laycan Review Committee.
3. Any emergency supply requirements must be transparently planned, scheduled in advance, and agreed upon collectively.
4. CBOD must be formally empowered to coordinate and submit Laycan schedules to the NPA, ensuring transparency, compliance, and equitable access across the sector.
CBOD and its members remain committed to protecting Ghana’s fuel supply security and maintaining a competitive, rules-based petroleum import system that serves the interests of the Ghanaian public. However, continued regulatory inconsistency threatens operational stability, undermines investor confidence, and raises fuel prices at the pump. We urge the Ministry of Energy and the NPA to act decisively, fairly, and without delay.
Signed.
Patrick Kwaku Ofori, PhD.
Chief Executive Officer
