Lab to ensure unadulterated petroleum products inaugurated
A central laboratory has been set up to facilitate the testing of all petroleum products meant for the local market to ensure that they are not adulterated.
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The laboratory, located on the premises of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) at Okponglo in Accra, will ensure that all petroleum products to be sold locally are of good and acceptable quality to promote safety.
The set-up is a collaboration between the GSA and the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) in support of the implementation of the petroleum products marketing scheme instituted in 2014.
The scheme is a system that allows the NPA to identify adulterated products on the market.
Value for money
In a speech read on his behalf at the inauguration of the laboratory yesterday, the Chief Executive Officer of the NPA, Mr Moses Asaga, said the initiative would boost the operations of the petroleum industry and ensure that consumers were given value for their money.
He said the laboratory, being independent of the NPA, would ensure fairness in the testing of petroleum products for all members of the association of oil marketing companies (OMCs).
That, he added, would solidify the trust industry players and prospective industry players had in the NPA.
In his welcome address, the acting Executive Director of the GSA, Mr Kofi Nagetey, said it was the mission of the authority, as the national standards body, to promote standardisation for the improvement of the quality of goods and services, as well as ensure sound management practices in local industries and public institutions.
“This explains why we collaborate with all regulatory bodies in the country to achieve the national goal of ensuring safety and the quality of all products to safeguard the environment and public health,” he said.
Self-test system
The Industry Coordinator of the OMCs, Mr Kweku Agyeman-Duah, applauded the NPA and the GSA for the initiative.
He, however, appealed to the NPA to put in place a mechanism that would enable the operators to test the quality of petroleum products at their marketing outlets.
Writer’s email Doreen.andoh@
graphic.com.gh