State-owned fuel distributor BOST Energies has reduced petroleum exports to neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, prioritizing Ghana’s domestic market as surging local diesel consumption and elevated international crude prices place heavy pressure on national inventories.
Managing Director Afetsi Awoonor said the company had scaled back diesel and petrol exports to the two landlocked neighbours since August.
Burkina Faso requested 80,000 metric tonnes of fuel for July and August, but BOST supplied only 40,000 tonnes. Mali received 10,000 tonnes during the same period and later requested an additional 40,000 tonnes for August and September.
The decision leaves both countries searching for alternative supplies at a difficult moment. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger rely heavily on petroleum imports passing through coastal countries, including Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.
Domestic diesel demand climbs
BOST controls about 30% of Ghana’s fuel distribution market, with diesel accounting for roughly two-thirds of its supplies.
Mr Awoonor said diesel consumption was rising as economic activity expanded, placing more pressure on available stocks and attempts to limit price increases at the pumps. “Supply is available, but it’s at a high cost,” he said.
Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have tightened global petroleum supplies and driven up fuel costs as harvest and winter demand approach. BOST’s export cuts are therefore meant to protect Ghana’s market from a sharper supply squeeze.
LPG terminals planned
BOST is also preparing to enter the liquefied petroleum gas import market.
Mr Awoonor said the company plans to complete an LPG terminal in Tema by the fourth quarter of 2027. A separate storage facility is planned for Kumasi to support distribution to the middle and northern parts of Ghana.
The Kumasi project will form part of a phased programme to develop LPG terminals at six locations.
The facilities could improve domestic storage and distribution, but the immediate concern is fuel availability. For now, Ghana’s requirements are taking precedence over larger export orders from the Sahel.
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