Change vehicle import policy to solve toxic fuel - GSA

Head of Public Affairs at the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Kofi Bediako Amponsah, has suggested that a change in Ghana’s vehicle importation policy, will resolve the importation of toxic fuel into the country.

He noted that most of the vehicles imported are older than a decade; hence importing quality fuel would cause a reduction in their toxic emissions.

Speaking to Citi News this morning, the head of Public Affairs said the new policy could consider the importation of only new vehicles to guarantee emissions are not highly toxic.

A three year research work titled “Dirty Diesel”, published on 15th September 2016, by Public Eye, a Swiss based NGO, through its partner African Centre for Energy Policy, (ACEP), revealed how Swiss commodity trading firms exploit lax regulatory standards to sell to African consumers’ fuel with high sulfur content.

The report indicated that the toxic fuel which is produced by the trading firms themselves, are types of fuel which are long banned in Europe.

“In West Africa especially, companies such as Vitol, Trafigura and Addax & Oryx, “ruthlessly exploit weak regulatory standards, and make the local urban populations pay with their health”, the report said.

The report has caused agitations among Ghanaians ever since it was released. They have called on government to take urgent steps to address the problem.

A few days ago, however, Mr. Bediako Amponsah, mounted a defence of the importation of substandard diesel fuel into the country, claiming fuels with non-toxic Sulphur chemicals are expensive for people to afford.

His defence received support from Moses Asaga, Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), in an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show.

He said the diesel imported into the country are not as toxic as suggested in the report.

He further stated that, it will be difficult for Ghana to be supplied with safe fuel since it will come at extra cost to the country.