Ghana has received the second batch of crude oil under the Gold-for-Oil policy, according to the Bulk Oil Storage and Transport Company (BOST).
Chief Executive Officer of BOST, Edwin Alfred Provencal, noted that over the weekend (Sunday, February 19), another 40,000 metric tonnes of oil arrived at the Tema port.
While addressing the press last week, Mr Provencal stated that Ghana will take delivery of four separate gasoline cargoes by the end of February.
“The next shipment will arrive on Sunday [February 19th]. It’s 35,000 tons of gasoline. The following week, another 40,000 tons will arrive, followed by another 40,000 tons that same week, and then another 40,000 tons in the last week of February. So, God willing, there will be four by the end of February,” he said.
In January this year, government received the first consignment of oil purchased under the gold-for-oil policy introduced by the Akufo-Addo-led government.
However, instead of paying with gold as expected, government procured the oil with cash, dollars.
Deputy Minister for Energy, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, disclosed that SCF YENISEI, the company the government traded with, did not have the capacity to exchange its oil for gold.
Ghana received 40,000 metric tonnes of petroleum valued at $40 million which was discharged into the receptacles of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company (BOST) to be sold to bulk distributing companies (BDCs) across the country.
According to the deputy minister, “international oil trading companies that do not have a commodity wing to deal with gold on their behalf will be excluded from the gold-for-oil policy.”
Should the government be unable to engage with companies who have the capacity to receive gold as payment for oil, it may fail to check the growth of the dollar against the cedi, the main reason it instituted the gold-for-oil policy.
This has raised concerns by some stakeholders in the energy sector.
Executive Secretary of Chamber of Petroleum Consumers, Duncan Amoah, has therefore called on the government to be transparent about the true specifics of the policy.
In response, the Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has assured that his ministry will keenly monitor every step in the gold-for-oil value chain.
According to him, this will start from the ship that brings the oil, through delivery to the BDCs, to the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and to the pumps.
So far, the government has received a total of 80,000 tonnes of oil under the policy.
Source: The Independent Ghana