The head of the National Petroleum Authority, Moses Asaga, has brushed off concerns about the toxic levels of fuels imported into Ghana, saying we should pay more money if we want cleaner fuels.
A recent report released by a Swiss think tank showed that a huge volume of fuels that are deemed too toxic for Europe usually end up being transported to Africa for use.
The maximum allowable sulphuric level of European crude is 50ppm (parts per million), but Ghana allows fuel with as much as 3000ppm to be sold in the country. Moses Asaga says that’s the standard we can afford here and that we should simply be ready to pay more if we want higher quality fuels.
“If we want high quality fuel then we need to pay more… the thing is a price issue” Asaga told Joy News Friday.
The fuels high in sulphur, the study conducted by Public Eye said – contain pollutants that are bad for the public’s health.
Apparently our leaders knew about this, but conceded it did not matter since we are a third world country who can afford to live in polluted environments. You would think the high price we already pay for fuel would entitle us to something better.