The Director of Planning, Pricing & Research at the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has commended the government of Nigeria for making a switch to the use of low-sulphur petroleum products, saying that it is a major step towards achieving harmonisation of fuel specifications in West Africa.

According to Alpha Welbeck, Ghana is currently the only country in the sub-region to have moved to the production of low sulphur.

But is expected to soon change with the commissioning of the Dangote Oil Refinery in Lagos, which is nearing completion.

Alpha Welbeck is hopeful that the refinery will help accelerate and promote fuel harmonisation in the sub-region.

“We are excited as the regulator that the refinery is designed to produce to Afri-6 specification,” Madam Welbeck said in a webinar between management of the Dangote Refinery and members of the Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors," she explained.

“This is in tandem with the Afri-6 fuel roadmap to supply high-quality fuel specs in the sub-region to improve emissions and air quality. It’s a major boost to the region’s refinery capacity and complexity. The operationalisation of the refinery will engender energy security for economic growth.”

Madam Welbeck also expressed her confidence in the Dangote Refinery’s capacity to produce 650,000 barrels of oil per day which is well above what Nigeria currently produces.

The webinar hosted by CBOD was held to update stakeholders on the progress of Dangote Group’s Oil Refinery project and explore the opportunities it offers for Ghana’s petroleum industry.