Prime Minister, Head of Government Philemon Yang summoned a crisis meeting of major petroleum actors to assess the stocks of petroleum products in the country and their prices. The General Manager of SONARA, Charles Metouck told the press after the meeting that he never sent any message to the company in charge of storing and distributing petroleum products, SCDP on any fuel scarcity as the distribution company alleged. He admitted that there was a problem of stock that SONARA has to manage with SCDP and the distributing company.“ We want to assure the public that there is no risk of shortage in petroleum products and SONARA will continue to function at 100 per cent as the government has taken all measures to enable the corporation carry our its mission”, the General Manager said.
Government has been trying to offer subventions to SONARA to enable it be in good financial state to meet the essential needs of ordering crude oil, processing and supplying the market, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, Fritz Gerard Nasako said in an interview after the crisis meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office. He said SCDP has the capacity to receive the petroleum products, stating that some mechanisms need to be perfected such as conveying the products from SCDP to the hinterlands of the country and increasing the fuel storage capacity of SCDP. Mr Nasako stated the need to improve on the pricing mechanism of petroleum products reiterating that, “There is no increase in the prices of products”. He said, “The pricing mechanism has to be perfected to look for ways of reducing them and also bringing the subsidies more affordable for the government”.
Prime Minister Philemon Yang, the General Manager of SONARA said, instructed that the petroleum products supply programme be respected, stating that SONARA has taken the commitment to strengthen the transport logistical capacity of the products.
