Star Oil Ghana’s Chief Executive Officer, Philip Tieku, says the company’s steady rise to market leadership has exposed the long-held myth that low-priced fuel must mean poor quality.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express Business Edition with George Wiafe on Thursday, November 6, Mr Tieku said the results speak for themselves.

“The jury is out there. The large majority of customers are buying from Star Oil, and that’s why we are number one. It’s obvious that we are doing something very right,” he stated.

He explained that Star Oil’s strength lies in its strict protection of quality and transparency across the supply chain.

“Our key strength is how we protect quality tangibly by the things we’ve done in the supply chain, how we ensure that customers are not cheated at the pump by using tangible means to investigate and ensure that our attendants cannot do that. And if they do that, there’s evidence to show, and because of that, they will seldom do that,” he said.

Mr Tieku added that the company’s post-service engagement with customers has also built trust.

“Our ability to engage customers post-service and make sure that they have assurance that they receive the right product, the right quantity, etc. And if there are real issues, transparently engage them on that, for me, is our strength,” he said.

He believes this consistent approach has proven that high-quality fuel can be sold at competitive prices.

“If that means that we’ve made nonsense of the whole price versus quality issues, I think that should be it,” he remarked.

Responding to questions about past scepticism from industry players who warned that low prices would collapse the sector, Mr Tieku said those claims were based on misconceptions and weak governance systems.

“That perception is one that, unfortunately, historically, in Ghana, has been pushed by some marketing interest groups.

"But there’s also the tangible aspect of that in the fact that historically, we’ve had very poor corporate governance structures in the industry. And that is why you can get a smuggled product into a station, etc., and compromise on quality,” he explained.

He said Star Oil’s growth and customer retention have demolished those doubts.

“You cannot be growing at the pace we are growing year on year, retaining your customers year on year, and be selling inferior products,” Mr Tieku asserted.

Star Oil’s rise, he noted, shows that Ghana’s downstream petroleum market can reward integrity, efficiency, and innovation — even without inflating prices.