Star Oil Ghana Limited has announced its decision to rejoin the Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC), while calling for reforms to the Chamber’s governance structure to ensure fairer representation of its members.

In a letter dated October 1, 2026, and addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of COMAC, the company said its membership would resume after it suspended its participation in January 2026 over concerns about the Chamber and its representation of members’ interests.

The letter, signed by Star Oil CEO Philip Tieku, said consultations with oil marketing companies and other industry stakeholders, as well as appeals from fellow COMAC members, had prompted the company to reconsider its position.

Star Oil said its return was informed by the need for a strong industry body capable of representing the collective interests of oil marketing companies and engaging effectively with regulators, government and other stakeholders.

However, the company said its return would also provide an opportunity to push for changes to COMAC’s governance arrangements, particularly provisions in the Chamber’s constitution that grant permanent board representation to three oil marketing companies because they are founding members.

While acknowledging the contribution of the founding companies to COMAC’s establishment and development, Star Oil argued that permanent board membership based solely on historical status was no longer appropriate for a modern industry association.

“The downstream petroleum industry has changed considerably over the years. The relative size, market share, investment and contribution of individual OMCs have also evolved significantly,” the company stated.

It argued that COMAC’s governance structure should reflect the current composition of the industry and give all members a fair opportunity to participate in the Chamber’s leadership.

Star Oil also raised concerns that the existing arrangement concentrates influence among a small number of companies, adding that some permanent board members are not consistently represented by their highest decision-makers at board meetings.

According to the company, this could weaken decision-making and limit the Chamber’s ability to respond promptly to important industry issues.

The company is therefore advocating a transparent, democratic and periodically renewable process for board representation, which it believes would strengthen participation, accountability and commitment among members.

Star Oil said its return to COMAC should be seen not only as a resumption of membership and board representation, but also as a commitment to working with other members to make the Chamber more representative, responsive and effective.