NPA challenges Star Oil’s claim on price floor policy
The Director of Economic Regulation and Planning at the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Abass Ibrahim Tasunti, has firmly rebutted claims by oil marketing firm, Star Oil, that the fuel price floor policy prevents the company from selling at lower rates, pointing out that Star Oil’s own pricing history contradicts its position.
He emphasised that Star Oil has consistently set prices above the regulated price floor in recent pricing windows, even when applying discounts at selected stations.
“Star Oil has always priced above the price floor, even when they have decided to discount for some of their stations, the discounted price is also higher than the price floor this should tell you something — that even for Star Oil, who is making this claim, they are not selling even at the level of the price floor to support the argument that had it not been for the price floor, they would have sold lower,” he told the Graphic Business in an exclusive interview.
Evidence
To illustrate his point, Mr Tasunti cited specific pricing data from December 2025. In the first pricing window of the month, the price floor for petrol was GH¢10.986 per litre, while Star Oil charged GH¢11.97 per litre.
In the second window, when the price floor fell to GH¢10.67 per litre, Star Oil lowered its standard price to GH¢11.35 per litre and the discounted price offered at certain stations was GH¢10.97 per litre — still GH¢0.30 above the regulated floor.
He directly challenged the company to align its prices with the existing floor across all outlets before claiming the policy blocks further reductions.
“My response is that Star should first sell at the price floor across all [their] stations to justify [their] argument that [they] could have sold lower had it not been for the policy,” he said.
Choosing to focus on facts rather than personal rhetoric, Tasunti added, “I won’t comment about their banter or whether he’s being mischievous or not.”
Frictions
The exchange highlights continuing friction between some Oil Marketing Companies and the NPA over the price floor mechanism, which aims to prevent predatory pricing and maintain sector stability.
While some OMCs argue the floor limits their ability to pass on global price drops to consumers, the NPA insists the policy safeguards the market and still permits competitive pricing above the minimum.
Tasunti’s remarks indicate that Star Oil and similar critics already have scope to cut prices within the current framework. Industry observers and consumers will be watching to see if Star Oil or other major players respond by adjusting prices in upcoming windows.