The Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC) and the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distribution Companies (CBOD) have threatened strike action over the alleged unlawful diversion of funds from the eLPG Fund to the Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company (GCMC).
In a joint statement, the associations pledged to pursue all legal avenues to reverse the move, calling it a “flagrant breach of statutory mandate,” a “dangerous sabotage of national energy policy,” and an “unacceptable betrayal of public trust.” They labeled the diversion a blatant deviation from the fund’s core purpose.
COMAC and CBOD demand immediate action through these measures:
Halt all disbursements from the LPG Fund to GCMC.
Reverse any prior allocations and restore funds to their lawful uses.
Publicly reaffirm the fund’s mandate: financing only bottling plants, CRM rollout, and unsafe cylinder withdrawals.
Ensure transparency via quarterly public reports with independent audits.
“These are not industry requests. These are legal and moral imperatives,” the statement emphasized.
Background
The eLPG Fund, established under LI 2262 (as amended) and LI 2481, and rolled out by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) on April 1, 2024, has two explicit objectives:
USD 44/MT for nationwide LPG bottling plant construction and operations.
USD 36/MT for Cylinder Recirculation Model (CRM) rollout to enable safe LPG distribution.
The groups stressed these goals are “non-negotiable” and that the fund was never meant for “discretionary capital or ad hoc allocations.” Redirecting it to GCMC, they argued, is “not administrative flexibility—it’s a statutory violation that demolishes Ghana’s LPG safety and infrastructure framework.”
Call for Government Action
COMAC and CBOD urged the government to act swiftly, asking: “Will Ghana uphold the rule of law and protect its citizens, or condone misallocation, erode energy sector credibility, and sacrifice lives for bureaucratic convenience?”
They vowed to exhaust “every legitimate avenue policy, legal, and public” to defend the fund, declaring: “We will not permit this fund to become a discretionary slush account. We will not remain passive while statutory protections are shredded.” Full accountability, decisive leadership, and fund restoration are non-negotiable, they added. “The people of Ghana deserve protection, transparency, and respect for the law.”
Story by: Mercy Addai Turson#ahotorfmonline.com