The latest drop in fuel prices across the country did not come as a surprise to industry players, the Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC) has said.
The Chamber insists the movement was long anticipated under Ghana’s deregulated petroleum pricing regime.
Speaking on Joy News’ AM Show on Monday, COMAC’s Chief Executive, Dr Riverson Oppong, said the price reductions now being experienced by consumers were forecast weeks ago and closely followed by oil marketing companies.
“If you listen to the Chamber’s position around the pricing regime that we’ve had, or we have in the industry, every two weeks, we published price outlook, there’s no doubt that for the past three to four windows, we’ve forecasted a lower or reduction in fuel price,” he said.
Dr Oppong stressed that the pricing outcomes now visible at the pumps were consistent with COMAC’s projections and industry discipline.
“I can say publicly that all our members have adhered to it with the percentage of rates that we expect our members to reduce the fuel to what we are seeing today,” he stated.
Fuel prices in Ghana are adjusted every two weeks under a deregulated framework influenced by global oil prices, exchange rate movements, taxes, and competition among oil marketing companies.
Over the past year, consumers have faced frequent price hikes, largely driven by currency pressures and volatility in international markets.
The recent reductions, therefore, sparked intense public debate and speculation about the reasons behind the sudden shift.
Dr Oppong dismissed suggestions that the price cuts were unusual, arguing they were a natural outcome of market competition.
“What we are seeing today, I will say, was expected because if you are, if you are in a deregulated market where members, challenging each other for the same customer, offtakers or whatever you want to put it, it is expected that there will be this kind of healthy, unhealthy war against each other,” he explained.
His comments come amid heightened attention on aggressive price reductions by some major players, particularly GOIL and Star Oil, whose sharp cuts have triggered reactions across the downstream petroleum sector.
“Today, as you said in your prelims representation, there is the GOIL and Star Oil saga. Obviously, these are the Tigers and the lions fighting, making the whole country messed up with too much noise around the topic,” Dr Oppong said.
Industry observers say price competition has forced several smaller oil marketing companies to adjust their prices rapidly to retain customers, intensifying what many describe as a price war at the pumps.
Despite the noise, COMAC maintains that the developments reflect the realities of a deregulated market and align with pricing trends the Chamber has consistently communicated in recent outlooks.
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