The National Petroleum Authority has scrapped the application of discounted fuel prices across the downstream petroleum sector.
It has thus directed that all Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and LPG Marketing Companies (LPGMCs) to cease applying selective price reductions at designated retail outlets.
The decision, captured in a review of the Petroleum Products Pricing Guidelines effective 16 March 2026, applies to all OMCs and LPGMCs operating in Ghana.
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Under the revised framework, operators are required to implement uniform ex-pump prices at their retail stations in line with the approved pricing formula, effectively eliminating location-based discounting strategies.
The NPA, in a statement on February 27, 2026, seen by Citi Business News to industry players, indicated that the revision has been undertaken to strengthen the existing guidelines, ensure compliance with the Pricing Formula Regulations LI 2186 (as amended LI 2222), and enhance effective monitoring, enforcement, and compliance to sustain the petroleum downstream industry.
The NPA has further invited all OMCs and LPGMCs to a meeting on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at its Head Office to discuss the revised guidelines and provide clarity where needed ahead of the implementation date.
The downstream petroleum regulator has warned of sanctions against industry players who fail to comply with the revised Petroleum Products Pricing Guidelines.
The revised Petroleum Products Pricing Guidelines are expected to significantly impact major Oil Marketing Companies, including market leader Star Oil, which had employed selective discounts at some retail outlets as part of its pricing strategy.
State-owned GOIL PLC also adopted similar discount models, while other OMCs introduced price discounts amid an intensifying price war to maintain competitiveness.
What industry sources say
A source close to Star Oil indicated to Citi Business News that prior to the introduction of the guidelines that permitted discounted pricing, all its retail outlets operated uniform pump prices nationwide, and the company remained profitable under that structure.
The source maintains that the firm also performed strongly under the discounted pricing regime.
The company is said to hold no particular preference for either a discounted or non-discounted pricing framework.
However, concerns have been raised about compliance enforcement under a uniform pricing model.
According to the source, under the previous non-discounted regime and the floor price guidelines, some lesser-known OMCs always violate the guidance by pricing differently at different locations.
There are expectations within sections of the industry that similar practices could resurface despite the regulator’s warning of sanctions.
Despite the regulatory shift, Star Oil maintains that it operates one of the lowest cost-per-litre structures in the industry and remains confident in its ability to deliver competitively priced, quality fuel products under the new regime.
Under the previous 2024 Petroleum Products Pricing Guidelines, retail outlets were permitted to offer discounts to consumers of up to two percent of the prevailing ex-pump price approved by their sponsoring OMC or LPGMC.
