National Petroleum Authority

The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) is an agency that regulates, oversees and monitors the downstream petroleum industry in Ghana. Preceded by the National Petroleum Tender Board, the NPA was established in the National Petroleum Authority Act of 2005.

As of late 2011, Ghana's downstream petroleum sector, over which the NPA has authority, included 45 oil trading companies, nine bulk distributing companies, 59 oil marketing companies, 19 liquid petroleum gas (LPG) marketing companies, one refinery, and 1,750 petroleum products outlets.

=Functions= Among its most important functions, the NPA:
 * Monitors and regulates ceilings on the prices, i.e. subsidies, of petroleum products in consultation with the Ministry of Energy
 * Implements the Unified Petroleum Price Fund (UPPF) to ensure that petroleum prices are uniform throughout the country
 * Regulates the bulk importation of refined petroleum products
 * Provides guidelines for petroleum marketing operations
 * Oversees the logistics of distributing petroleum products across the country
 * Grants licenses to and promotes competition among service providers and marketing companies
 * Regularly inspects of petroleum service providers and their outlets to monitor their compliance with health, safety and environmental standards

=External Links= NPA website: www.npa.gov.gh/npa_new/index.php

=References=