|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The National Premix Fuel Secretariat (NPFS), working together with Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), has begun a nationwide accountability exercise aimed at improving transparency and financial oversight in the management of premix fuel revenues and the Community Development Fund in Ghana’s fishing communities.
The initiative follows a pilot programme conducted last year in coastal areas such as Shama and Sekondi-Takoradi. During the pilot phase, the Secretariat collaborated with district assemblies and MMDCEs to review how premix fuel funds were managed at the community level.
Officials said the pilot programme highlighted the importance of working closely with district authorities to enforce financial discipline and rebuild public trust in the premix fuel system.
Building on the outcomes of the pilot phase, the Secretariat is now expanding the exercise to cover all remaining coastal and inland fishing communities that were not included earlier. The next phase will take place from March 16 to 27, 2026, and will cover areas around Volta Lake as well as the Oti Region, Bono East Region, Savannah Region, Northern Region, Eastern Region, Western Region, Central Region, Greater Accra Region and marine communities within the Volta Region.
Through the expanded exercise, the Secretariat aims to strengthen local oversight by district assemblies and ensure that revenues generated from premix fuel sales are properly managed to benefit fishing communities.
The initiative follows an audit of premix fuel accounts covering the period between 2017 and 2024, which reportedly uncovered financial irregularities and misappropriation amounting to about GH¢27.7 million during the administration of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Officials say the accountability drive forms part of broader reforms being implemented by the current government led by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to recover mismanaged funds and restore confidence in the premix fuel programme.
As part of the process, former members of Landing Beach Committees who served between 2017 and 2024 will be required to account for their management of funds, while the operations of current committees will also be reviewed.
Emelia Arthur has expressed strong support for the exercise, describing it as a crucial step toward restoring trust in the premix fuel distribution system.
She stressed that the government is committed to ensuring that all revenues generated through the programme are properly accounted for and used for their intended purposes.
At the centre of the initiative is the Community Development Fund, which allocates 53 per cent of the profit margin from premix fuel sales to development projects within fishing communities.
The Administrator of the Secretariat, Ebow Mensah, said the accountability drive is essential to protecting resources meant for community development.
According to him, the Secretariat will continue collaborating with district assemblies, MMDCEs, and local stakeholders to enforce compliance with regulations and ensure responsible management of the Community Development Fund.
He added that the strengthened oversight measures are expected to promote good governance within the premix fuel distribution system while ensuring that revenues from the programme contribute meaningfully to infrastructure development, improved livelihoods, and sustainable growth in Ghana’s fishing communities.
Source: 3news
