The Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC) has proposed the introduction of a West African Fuel Passport, a region-wide digital system designed to standardise petroleum product quality, improve cargo traceability and facilitate legitimate cross-border fuel trade.
The proposal was presented by COMAC Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Riverson Oppong, during a plenary discussion at the OTL Africa Downstream Energy Week 2026, held under the theme, “West African Fuels Congress: What’s New and What’s Next?”
The proposed system would operate across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), certifying petroleum products against agreed quality standards and tracking consignments from refineries and ports through storage depots and border crossings to retail outlets.
According to the proposal, the system could help reduce unrecorded petroleum product movements, strengthen quality assurance, improve revenue protection and make legitimate cross-border fuel trading more transparent and efficient.
Dr. Oppong’s presentation examined the changing dynamics of West Africa’s downstream petroleum market, including supply security, regional refining capacity, fuel pricing disparities, product quality differences and the need for stronger storage and traceability infrastructure.
He also highlighted the vulnerabilities of import-dependent fuel markets, drawing on the 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis to illustrate how geopolitical disruptions to shipping routes can affect global crude oil prices, supply chains and the cost of petroleum products.
The discussion considered how emerging refining capacity, regulatory reforms and shifting international trade routes could reshape the sourcing and distribution of petroleum products across West Africa.
Ghana’s continued reliance on imported petroleum products, alongside differences in pump prices and fuel specifications across regional markets, featured among the broader issues examined during the session.
The proposed Fuel Passport could provide a common framework for tracking petroleum products across participating countries, potentially supporting regulators and industry players in verifying product origins, monitoring movements and enforcing agreed quality requirements.
Its implementation, however, would require regional cooperation, harmonised standards, reliable digital infrastructure and coordination among regulators, customs authorities, storage operators and petroleum industry participants.
COMAC’s participation in the forum provided an opportunity to bring Ghana’s downstream petroleum sector experience into regional discussions on improving energy security, transparency and market integration.
The proposal comes as West African countries explore ways to strengthen regional petroleum supply chains and respond to changing market conditions, including the growing role of domestic and regional refining in meeting fuel demand.
If adopted and effectively implemented, the West African Fuel Passport could become a tool for supporting product quality assurance, improving petroleum market oversight and facilitating more transparent trade across the subregion.
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