The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) is calling for a complete overhaul of its governing law, saying the 20-year-old legislation no longer adequately addresses the evolving challenges in Ghana’s downstream petroleum sector.
The Authority’s Chief Executive Officer, Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, made the call during an engagement with Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.
He said the current NPA Act, 2005 (Act 691), needs to be revised to reflect changes in the petroleum market and strengthen the regulatory framework.
“The National Petroleum Authority Act, Act 691, within Sections 62 to 65, governs the entire thing. Madam, I’m sure pretty soon something will be coming before Parliament. The Authority Act 691 is 20 years old. And oftentimes for a regulator, the market is always ahead of regulation,” he said.
“And so after 20 years, there is the need for an amendment, a complete overhaul.”
Mr Tamakloe said petroleum products require a different regulatory approach from other commodities because of their essential role in the economy and the potential impact of pricing decisions on consumers.
He cited cement pricing as an example of a market where prices may vary between communities, warning that applying a similar approach to petroleum could create distortions.
“We know, like commodities like cement, the price of cement differs from community to community. But we realise that petroleum is so essential that if you run petroleum like you run cement pricing, you create distortions in the system,” he said.
The NPA CEO also raised concerns about the impact of pricing arrangements on consumers in northern Ghana, where poverty levels are generally higher.
“And in the country as well, the more northern you go, the greater the poverty. So if you’re going to have a situation where those in the north are going to pay higher for no fault of theirs, we’ll create a problem,” he said.
He said regulation must account for the downstream petroleum sector’s primary and secondary distribution systems to promote fairness and efficiency.
The NPA Act, 2005 (Act 691), established the Authority to regulate, oversee and monitor Ghana’s downstream petroleum industry.
The proposed overhaul comes amid concerns about challenges in the sector, including pricing distortions and tax evasion.
Although Mr Tamakloe indicated that a legislative proposal could be brought before Parliament, he did not disclose details of the proposed changes or when a bill would be formally presented.
The engagement with the Public Accounts Committee provided an opportunity for the Authority to outline the need for changes to the legal framework governing the sector.