Ghana: Tanzanian energy regulators understudy NPA’s operations

A Tanzanian delegation visited the country to study the operations of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) in the petroleum downstream sector.

The officials from the Tanzanian Ministry of Energy and the fuel agency spent five days focusing on understanding NPA’s effective regulation and administration of the petroleum downstream. They found NPA’s methods to be convenient, cost-effective, and worthy of emulation.

They arrived in Ghana on Monday, March 18, 2024, and concluded their visit on Friday, March 22, 2024. They were warmly received by Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, the Chief Executive of the NPA, during an opening session held at the NPA on Monday.

The opening session was attended by Perry Okudzeto, the Deputy Chief Executive, as well as Directors, Heads of Department, and other staff of the Authority.

In his welcome remarks, the Chief Executive expressed excitement to host the delegation and assured them that the NPA was more than willing and ready to share the NPA experience with them.

Particularly he stated in respect of how the Authority is administering the Unified Petroleum Price Fund (UPPF), which is a key area of interest to the Tanzanians.

He added that the Authority had put everything in place to make their five-day visit including the scheduled field tours, worthwhile.

On his part, the Head of the delegation, Msafiri Mtepe of the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority, Tanzania, commended the Authority for the warm reception.

He expressed optimism that they would, indeed, have the best learning experience on the Ghanaian model of petroleum regulation, which he said, has become the envy of many countries in Africa and beyond.

He stated that the primary objective of their study visit was to appreciate the successful implementation of Ghana’s Unified Petroleum Price Scheme and other pricing mechanisms instituted in Ghana.

In the course of their stay in Ghana and with the NPA, many formal engagements and sessions were held with technical persons at the Authority focusing on a wide range of subjects on relevant aspects of Ghana’s petroleum value chain.