Ghana's public oil distribution company BOST Energies has reduced its shipments of diesel and petrol to Burkina Faso and Mali since August. This decision comes as domestic demand increases and supply conditions in international markets remain tense.

BOST provided only 40,000 tonnes of the 80,000 tonnes of fuel requested by Burkina Faso for July and August, according to its Managing Director Afetsi Awoonor, quoted by Reuters. Over the same period, the company exported 10,000 tonnes to Mali, which had requested an additional 40,000 tonnes for August and September.

Both countries, such as Niger, rely heavily on imports of petroleum products from the coastal states of West Africa, including Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire.

In Ghana, BOST holds about 30 per cent of the oil products market and is facing an increase in consumption, particularly for diesel, which accounts for nearly two thirds of its supplies. « Supply is available, but at a high cost », said Afetsi Awoonor.

Increased demand also complicates efforts to maintain stable domestic prices. After a decline earlier in the year thanks in particular to the appreciation of the Cedi and public measures, fuel prices rose again in September.

Since 16 September, the floor price fixed by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has been set at 16 cedis per litre for petrol and 16.77 cedis for diesel.

At the same time, BOST plans to develop its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supply capacity. The company is to build a LPG import terminal in Tema, with a planned start-up in the fourth quarter of 2027, as well as a storage facility in Kumasi.

The programme will eventually provide infrastructure in six localities in Ghana, according to Afetsi Awoonor. These projects must accompany the imports and distribution of LPG on the domestic market.