Star Oil Ghana CEO, Philip Tieku, has dismissed long-standing claims that low fuel prices automatically mean poor quality.
He argues that the company’s steady rise to become the market leader is proof that efficiency and integrity—not inflated pricing—drive success.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express Business Edition with George Wiafe on Thursday, November 6, Mr Tieku said the debate about price versus quality in Ghana’s downstream petroleum sector has been settled by results on the ground.
“I think the jury is out there. The large majority of customers are buying from Star Oil, and that’s why we are number one. It’s obvious that we are doing something very right,” he said.
He attributed the company’s success to a deliberate effort to safeguard fuel quality and ensure transparency in customer service.
“Our key strength is how we protect quality tangibly by the things we’ve done in the supply chain, how we ensure that customers are not cheated at the pump by using tangible means to investigate and ensure that our attendants cannot do that,” Mr Tieku explained.
He revealed that Star Oil has invested in systems that allow for checks and accountability at every point of sale.
“If they do that, there’s evidence to show, and because of that, they will seldom do that. And also our ability to engage customers post-service and make sure that they have assurance that they receive the right product, the right quantity, etc. And if there are real issues, transparently engage them on that, for me, is our strength,” he added.
Asked whether the company’s track record has invalidated the industry belief that low prices mean low quality, he responded, “If that means that we’ve made nonsense of the whole price versus quality issues, I think that should be it.”
The Star Oil CEO also noted that the negative perception linking low prices to poor quality was deliberately shaped by vested interests in the industry.
“I think that perception is one that, unfortunately, historically, in Ghana, has been pushed by some marketing interest groups,” he said.
According to him, poor corporate governance in the sector contributed to those suspicions.
“Historically, we’ve had very poor corporate governance structures in the industry. And that is why you can get a smuggled product into a station, etc., and compromise on quality.”
He maintained that it is possible to sell top-quality fuel at competitive prices through efficient management and transparency.
“In principle, you can get a perfectly good quality product sold at the prices that we sell at,” Mr. Tieku stated.
He insisted that Star Oil’s consistent growth is evidence that quality has never been sacrificed.
“You cannot be growing at the pace we are growing year on year, retaining your customers year on year, and be selling inferior products,” he said confidently.
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