{"id":101812,"date":"2025-11-03T19:46:51","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T19:46:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=101812"},"modified":"2025-11-03T19:46:51","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T19:46:51","slug":"west-africa-needs-cross-border-lpg-strategy-to-drive-clean-energy-comac-chairman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=101812","title":{"rendered":"West Africa needs cross-border LPG strategy to drive clean energy \u2014 COMAC Chairman"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ghana\u2019s Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC) is calling for a regional approach to LPG supply and pricing to ensure that all West African countries benefit from emerging energy infrastructure, including Nigeria\u2019s Dangote Refinery.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the just-ended OTL Africa Downstream Energy Week in Lagos, COMAC Chairman Gabriel Kumi said the success of the Dangote Refinery in lowering Nigeria\u2019s LPG prices demonstrates the power of local production \u2014 and the potential of regional energy collaboration.<\/p>\n

\u201cDangote is Nigerian, yes, but he\u2019s also West African,\u201d Mr. Kumi said. \u201cWe all deserve to benefit from investments that promote cleaner, affordable energy across the sub-region.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Kumi noted that increased LPG output from the refinery has already reduced Nigeria\u2019s prices from about $1 to 80 cents per kilogram, while meeting nearly 30 percent of domestic demand. <\/p>\n

He believes that sharing supply across borders could help lower prices in neighbouring countries like Ghana, C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, and Togo, where consumers still pay much higher rates.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Affordability, Not Availability, Will Drive Clean Energy<\/strong><\/p>\n

The COMAC Chairman stressed that affordability remains the most critical factor in LPG adoption, particularly among rural populations who continue to depend on charcoal and firewood for cooking.<\/p>\n

\u201cAvailability does not guarantee consumption,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can build as many LPG plants as you want, but if people can\u2019t afford it, they won\u2019t switch.\u201d<\/p>\n

He highlighted Ghana\u2019s cylinder recirculation policy as an important step in improving access, with nearly 1,000 refilling plants established nationwide. <\/p>\n

However, he warned that infrastructure alone cannot deliver clean energy transition without deliberate measures to make LPG affordable.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Regional Lessons and the Path Forward<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kumi pointed to Lacroix du Bois as a success story, noting that its decision to subsidize smaller LPG cylinders has driven rapid household adoption and made it a leader in LPG penetration in West Africa.<\/p>\n

He urged other nations to explore similar targeted subsidies, regional pricing frameworks, and consumer financing options to boost clean cooking adoption.<\/p>\n

\u201cLPG is not just a cooking fuel; it\u2019s a bridge to renewables and sustainable livelihoods,\u201d Kumi said. \u201cIf West Africa works together, we can scale access, protect our forests, and accelerate our transition to cleaner energy.\u201d <\/p>\n

Currently, over 900 million Africans lack access to clean cooking fuels \u2014 a figure Kumi described as \u201ca stark reminder\u201d that Africa\u2019s energy transition must be rooted in practical affordability and regional cooperation, not just policy talk.<\/p>\n

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\"WestGhana\u2019s Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC) is calling for a regional approach to LPG supply and pricing to ensure that all West African countries benefit from emerging energy infrastructure, including Nigeria\u2019s Dangote Refinery.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":101813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7580,3440,158,11826,10,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chamber-of-oil-marketing-companies-comac","category-clean-energy","category-energy","category-lpg-strategy","category-politics","category-popular"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=101812"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101812\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/101813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=101812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=101812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=101812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}