NPA to amend governing Act as sector outgrows old framework

Ghana’s downstream petroleum regulator is preparing to push for major legal changes, with the National Petroleum Authority signalling that its two-decade-old governing law no longer fully matches the realities of the industry it oversees.

Speaking during a visit by Parliament’s Select Committee on Energy, NPA Chief Executive Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe said the Authority has concluded that the current statute must be updated to reflect how rapidly the sector has changed since 2005.

In his view, the existing Act has provided an important regulatory base, but developments in the industry and shifts in the global energy landscape now make reform unavoidable.

That review, he said, will not stop at policy discussion. The Authority plans to present a new bill to Parliament, together with a Legislative Instrument that will revisit fees and charges in the sector.

The proposed exercise amounts to a full legal refresh rather than a minor adjustment.

Edudzi Tamakloe told the committee that the NPA still sees itself as a central driver of efficiency, proper regulation and investor confidence in the downstream space, while continuing to emphasise transparency, integrity and operational excellence.

He also reminded lawmakers that the Authority remains accountable to Parliament, particularly because its work involves margins, levies and other financial mechanisms that require legislative oversight.

The broader aim of the reforms, according to the NPA, is to build a stronger and more responsive framework for pricing, distribution and infrastructure development in Ghana’s petroleum sector.

Members of the Energy Committee, for their part, indicated that they were ready to study the proposed legislation when it is formally brought before Parliament.