The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) is set to commence the regulation of the importation, storage, processing, and marketing of bitumen in the country, effective January 2024.
The new regulatory framework, which will have input from the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), the Ghana Highways Authority (GHA), and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), seeks to streamline the bitumen supply chain and ensure compliance with national quality standards.
The new framework specifies who qualifies to obtain a license, the national standards for bitumen, and guidelines to follow for the supply of the product, among other things.
The Director of Economic Regulation and Planning at NPA, Mrs. Alpha Welbeck, who made the disclosure at a media briefing in Accra, urged industry players to use the remaining period of 2023 to regularize their operations with the Authority.
“Existing bitumen facilities and new entrants will have to acquire a license before they will be allowed to operate in the industry beginning 2024,” she emphasized.
The bitumen industry possesses enormous potential to contribute to the growth and development of the economy due to its use in road construction.
Although bitumen is a petroleum product, little has been done in terms of monitoring and regulating the product compared to other petroleum products such as petrol, diesel, LPG, etc.
As background information, in 2014, a study was carried out to ascertain the supply chain practices and to obtain baseline information about what was happening in the bitumen industry.
Following the study, the NPA, together with stakeholders such as the GHA, GRA – Customs Division, GSA, and some existing players, have collaborated in the development of guidelines for the supply of bitumen, culminating in a new regulatory framework set to be implemented in January 2024.
A public notice will be issued in the coming weeks on the requirements for obtaining a license to enable existing players and new entrants alike to take the necessary steps to regularize their operations ahead of the 2024 deadline.
