No LPG for Christmas; distributors to embark on strike

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) users across the country may have to brace themselves for an acute shortage of the product as distributors are threatening a nationwide suspension of their service during the yuletide.

The move is to protest government’s decision to implement the cylinder re-circulation module, which was proposed by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) to ensure that LPG filling points are sited out of densely populated areas and commercial centres.

These plants will procure, brand, maintain and fill empty cylinders to be distributed to consumers and households through retail outlets and stations, deemed to be low risk, after government’s assessment.

The New Crusading GUIDE has gathered that has gathered that the Ghana LPG Marketing Companies (LPGM) and its affiliates are planning to lay down their tools to register their protest.

Currently, the relationship between government and the LPGM has been marred by trust issues, as the latter suspect’s foul play in the implementation of the proposed policy.

Vice President of LPGM, Mr. Gabby Kumi who confirmed this to our reporter explained although the LPG policy issues has been on the burner for sometime now the sector Ministry recently put in place an implementation committee to work on the policy.

However, the association pulled out of the committee’s deliberations, as they explained that their activities were inimical to their survival as an industry. “When we pulled out the Deputy Minister in charge of Petroleum, Mr. Amin Anta invited us to his office and urged us to go back to the implementation committee to lay our grievances for the committee to addresses,” he added

Having heeded to the plea of the Deputy Minister, they returned to the discussion table and the committee according to him was reconstituted. But once again in a similar fashion their grievances were rejected by the committee Chairman, Mr. Hassan Tampuli who redirected members of the association to go back to the Ministry.

Following the back and forth and what they describe as bad faith on the part of government , Mr. Kumi noted that his group has written several letters to the Minister for Energy Mr. Boakye Agyarko, requesting a meeting but none of their letters has since been replied.

Asked what the association intends to do next after the expiration of the ultimatum given the ministry he said, the group is considering all constitutional and legitimate means to press home their demands.

He lamented the financial challenges facing the industry since the announcement of the implementation of the policy which would eventually get all of them out of business. “Banks are chasing us to recoup their facility. They are acting negatively to wards us.

“This is an old industry and you have Ghanaians who have built this system over the years and you implement a policy without informing us. We are nowhere listed in the value chain. They are just out to collapse our business and nobody is ready to listen to us,” he cried out.