The National Premix Fuel Secretariat has issued a firm notice to landing beach committees that operated between 2017 and 2024 to render full accounts of how premix fuel proceeds, particularly the 53 per cent community development fund, were managed during that period.

Administrator of the Secretariat, Ebow Mensah, said the accountability drive cannot be forward-looking only, stressing that unresolved questions about past funds continue to undermine trust in the premix system.

“For committees that operated between 2017 and 2024 and have not rendered accounts to their communities or explained what projects the community funds were used for, we will deal with them,” Mr Mensah said during engagements under the Premix Accountability Series.

He explained that premix margins are public funds created through state subsidy and governed by L.I. 2233, which clearly allocates more than half of those proceeds to fishing communities for development purposes.

“These are not discretionary funds,” he said. “They belong to the community, and communities have the right to know how much accrued to them and what it was used for.”

Mr. Mensah noted that the absence of historical accounting has fuelled persistent disputes at some landing beaches, with fisherfolk often unsure whether projects attributed to premix funds were actually financed from the community share.

According to him, addressing the 2017–2024 period is critical to restoring confidence in the system.

“You cannot build trust by ignoring the past,” he said. “If people do not understand what happened to earlier funds, it becomes difficult to convince them that the system is now working in their interest.”
The Secretariat said it will work closely with metropolitan and municipal chief executives, who are mandated by law to oversee landing beach committees, to ensure that past records are retrieved, reviewed, and presented to communities where possible.

Chief fishermen, who chair landing beach committees in most communities, are also expected to play a central role in demanding explanations and mobilising community participation.

“Fortunately, chief fishermen are relatively stable in their positions,” Mr Mensah said. “We intend to empower them to insist on accountability and ensure that premix funds serve the purpose for which they were created.”

He added that the current accountability series, which has so far covered only three communities, is intended to test the framework that will later be applied nationwide.

“Come early 2026, this will be done across the country,” he said. “All committees will be expected to render accounts, discuss the community development funds, and confirm that the monies have been lodged in accounts established by law.”

Mr Mensah stressed that confronting the accountability gap from 2017 to 2024 is essential to protecting the long-term credibility of the premix subsidy.

“If we do not account for the past, the future of the premix system remains at risk,” he said.