Delays in delivering fuel at the pumps in Ghana’s ports cost the country $60 million last year, the Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS) has revealed.

Speaking during an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, September 22, West African Regional Director of CUTS International, Appiah Adomako Kusi, said that about $60 million was paid in demurrage to shipping lines last year due to delays in discharging finished fuel products at the ports.

According to him, delays in addressing these gaps and inefficiencies impose high costs on businesses, citing the extra charges incurred by tankers and Bulk Distribution Companies (BDCs) due to delays in discharging the products.

“Last year, close to about $60 million was paid as demurrage to shipping lines because of the delays it takes for these shipping vessels to be able to unload the finished products into the country,” the CUTS director said.

He said the challenges go beyond petroleum products, pointing to delays in importing clinker and complaints from freight forwarders about difficulties in clearing cargo at the airport.

Mr Adomako Kusi also cited the high cost of domestic air transport as another challenge, saying the issues highlight the need to review how goods and services are moved across the country.

He urged policymakers to approach logistics as an efficiency and engineering challenge to improve the movement of goods and services at a lower cost.

He said improving the logistics system could reduce unnecessary expenditure and enhance efficiency, while failure to address existing gaps would continue to increase costs without commensurate benefits.

Meanwhile, amid the rising fuel prices on the global market, Ghana is unlikely to face an imminent fuel shortage amid tightening global petroleum supplies, according to the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).

Speaking to the media, NPA Chief Executive Officer, Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, noted that fuel stocks already available in the country, along with additional consignments currently in transit, will help ensure a steady supply to the domestic market.

He added, “Currently, we have not less than 6 weeks of cover. Not less. And if you look at the number of vessels even on the high seas, it is significant. So at this point, yes, I have some supply”.

The International Energy Agency expects global oil supplies to fall significantly in 2026, with refined fuel inventories also declining amid tighter market conditions.

Meanwhile, Ghana's state-owned fuel distributor BOST Energies has reduced the amount of diesel and ‌gasoline exports to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali as part of efforts to prioritise domestic fuel supply and protect local price stability amid tighter global oil and gas supplies.

While addressing the press on Wednesday, September 16, Managing Director Afetsi Awoonor said Ghana had reduced exports since August

“During the same period, BOST exported 10,000 tons of fuel to ​Mali, though the country had requested an extra 40,000 tons for August and September,” he added.

The three Sahelian countries, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger source much of their petroleum needs from countries along the coast, including Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

All three are currently under military rule following coups and face persistent attacks from armed Islamist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and Islamic State.

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East is negatively impacting oil and gas supplies globally. Currently, petroleum product prices have risen at the pumps for the second pricing window of September.

The price of petrol at Star Oil has increased from GH¢15.17 to GH¢16.77 per litre as of Wednesday, September 16, representing an increase of about 10.5%.

The price of diesel has increased by 4.71%, from GH¢16.97 to GH¢17.77 per litre.