GSB to ensure fuel stations stick to correct adjustments

Accra, March 2, GNA - The Ghana Standard Board (GSB) on Wednesday said a verification exercise was on-going to ensure that fuel station operators did the correct adjustments on their pumps following the increase in the prices of petroleum products. Mr Eric Acheampong, Senior Scientific Officer of GSB, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the Board, soon after the increase in the prices of petroleum products, asked the marketing oil companies to go round and set the unit prices in litres at the various stations. He, however, said that because the announcement of new prices was made in gallons, some stations might resort to their own conversion system, which would be to the detriment of the consumer.

Accra, March 2, GNA - The Ghana Standard Board (GSB) on Wednesday said a verification exercise was on-going to ensure that fuel station operators did the correct adjustments on their pumps following the increase in the prices of petroleum products. Mr Eric Acheampong, Senior Scientific Officer of GSB, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the Board, soon after the increase in the prices of petroleum products, asked the marketing oil companies to go round and set the unit prices in litres at the various stations. He, however, said that because the announcement of new prices was made in gallons, some stations might resort to their own conversion system, which would be to the detriment of the consumer.
"Now that the increases have been made it is up to the dealers to do their own conversions. For instance some will quote for the 30,000 cedis for a gallon at 6,666 cedis per litre whilst others would quote 6,667 cedis per litre," Mr Acheampong said. Mr Acheampong said the Board, which was aware of this problem, wrote to Government about three years ago to announce the adjustments of petroleum prices in litres instead of gallons. "The dispensing pumps don't deliver in gallons and once we have moved from the imperial system to the metric units there is the need to also change to avoid the problems. "This will make the situation straightforward and easy because there will not be the need for conversion at all." Mr Acheampong advised consumers to be extra vigilant at the fuel stations by checking to ensure that unscrupulous attendants did not cheat them.