BOST commends media for watchdog role in petroleum sector

The Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) has commended the media for active role in the energy sector especially scrutinizing players in the petroleum industry.

Mr Kingsley Kwame Awuah-Darko, Managing Director of BOST who commended the media noted that: 'It was you who strengthened our resolve to succeed in the face of all opposition, confirming that you more than anyone else was the brother who stood by this would be orphan BOST, right from our days in the gutter to our time now in the sun.

'May our relationship with you continue to grow and be guided by the truth and nothing else,' Mr Awuah-Darko stated during a farewell interaction with the media in Accra.

He noted that: 'Under my administration the media continued to scrutinize, criticized and also have the same courage to commend us when we did the right thing by the people of Ghana. We implore you to continue to render the support you gave us to our successors on the future and the direction of the downstream petroleum sector'.

Mr Awuah-Darko attributed the turn-over at BOST under his administration to 'God who has brought us far bridled with a very large dose of humility. 'Humility because this was not an individual effort. I am humbled by the men and women at BOST who refused to let the dead goat die.

He also commended the staffs of BOST saying; 'You fought to your last, you grovelled and scraped and grasped at every straw, and by your effort and the grace of our lord, today the ugly duckling BOST has been transformed into a beautiful swan.

'To you I say the battle is not over…I urge you to support my successor with dedication and hard work you showed while I was your Managing Director…let us pick up our tools and let us continue to press forward for God and country…now is not time for us to relax and go back to our bad old ways. Now is the time for us to press on and pick up the pace'.

Mr Awuah-Darko also commended both the senior and junior staffs as well as the workers union for creating enabling environment and adapting to the transformation agenda instituted by the management under his leadership.

Mr Kakara Essamuah, BOST Board Chairman also noted that the collective efforts of stakeholders, prudent management skills, and sacrifices of staff helped restore the operations of BOST in the last 36 months.

'BOST in 2013 seemed like a large uncontrollable beast, the company was in dire state with employees so dejected, that some sat under trees for lack of a next step to take. No banks would look at us, no Bulk Distribution Company (BDC) would store with us no one wanted to partner with us and the citizens of the country had for the most part forgotten about the entity called BOST.'

Mr Essamuah noted that the staff however stayed resolute, given the option to walk away and call it a day the Local Union refused rising up in one last battle cry for a savour to resurrect this fallen giant…and when the dust settled, President John Dramani Mahama appointed a young man, Mr Awuah-Darko.

'All too often the story of the state enterprise is one of corruption, embezzlement, and a complete misuse of taxpayers hard earned money. But today I stand proud to tell you that BOST in partnership with GO-Energy delivered the final nail into the coffin of a non-deregulated downstream petroleum market to ensure that you and I do not pay a pesewa more than we need to at the petrol pump.

'I am proud to tell you that in partnership with the Energy Commission, BOST has delivered a comprehensive strategy to ensure the build out of gas infrastructure throughout this country eliminating our dependence of foreign gas and ensuring that local gas will never again be stranded and flared.

'This obviously we hope will be flowed by the incoming administration.'

Mr Essamuah noted that BOST has transformed from a company where staff survived on their menial salaries by taking money under the table, to a company where staff are well paid and are awarded on the table.

He said through instruments such as the performance based bonuses and the over GHȼ4.8 million performance based profit share which was approved by the board to be paid to all staff in 2015.

'I believe this set a precedent for us as a country that we should award those who work hard so as not to demotivate them and recognize them for the work they do as a means to not only show appreciation but to encourage them to strive harder,' Mr Essamuah who is also a Member of the National Media Commission stated.

BOST was incorporated in December 1993 as a private limited liability company with the Government of Ghana as the sole shareholder. Until May 2001, BOST was responsible for the distribution of refined petroleum products from its strategic depots located throughout the country.

Additionally, BOST also holds the Natural Gas Transmission Utility License granted to it by the Ghana Energy Commission (EC) on December 19th, 2012. The NGTU as per EC Act 541, 1997, will provide transmission and interconnection services for natural gas without discrimination throughout the country.

Transmission license as per Natural Gas Licensing manual permit BOST: to monitor and control the operation of the national interconnected network for the transmission of natural gas in areas within the country, and to ensure the safe, reliable and economic transportation of natural gas facilities connected to the transmission system.

It also enable it to provide transmission interconnection services without discrimination to other licensees in the natural gas industry; and provide transmission interconnection services to operators of natural gas networks in ECOWAS member states.