By Felix Engsalige Nyaaba
Deputy Executive Director of Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Benjamin Boakye, has said authorities in charge of checking fuel exported to Ghana must regulate the sector to save lives.
According to him, an investigation report has revealed that the fuel imported into Ghana mainly diesel is seriously toxic sometimes to the extent it is over 2000 times worse than the standards accepted in the EU and the USA.
The toxic fuel has been linked with several respiratory illnesses and car malfunctioning.
He said “If we want to save the environment and the danger this poses to our health then as quickly as possible we need to all jump in and make sure that there is a regulation."
Speaking to press in Accra on a recent World Bank report which indicated that air pollution kills about 17,500 people annually in Ghana, Mr Boakye said is alarming enough to call for concerns.
“We can’t wait for that to exacerbate and the trend clearly shows that in the next 10-15 years the traffic situation in our cities is going to quadruple and that would have a serious implication on our health if we continue to use the kind of products that come on our market,” he said.
He added that Ghana is getting close to what Beijing has in terms of air pollution where people have to wear a mask to breath clean air.
He further pointed that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors, Senyo Hosi's contention that Ghana is providing 500-ppm fuel as a matter of cost is contestable because Kenya is currently doing 50-ppm and they are selling it cheaper than Ghana is.
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