The Auditor-General has uncovered serious regulatory failures at the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), revealing how weaknesses in Ghana’s fuel quality assurance system have allowed substandard petroleum products to find their way onto the pumps at retail filling stations, exposing millions of motorists to contaminated fuel while denying the state critical tax revenue.
The alarming findings are contained in the Performance Audit Report on the Operations of the National Petroleum Authority, dated June 24, 2026, which paints a disturbing picture of a fuel regulatory regime riddled with weak enforcement, ineffective monitoring systems, poor supervision of retail outlets and widespread lapses in petroleum product tracking.
At the centre of the report is the revelation that there was no assurance that petroleum products sold at filling stations across the country met the required quality standards, raising fresh concerns over consumer protection, vehicle safety, environmental pollution and the integrity of Ghana’s downstream petroleum industry.
The report concludes that the NPA’s inability to effectively implement the national fuel marking programme, enforce mandatory monitoring systems and properly regulate fuel transportation created significant loopholes through which adulterated or contaminated fuel could enter the retail market undetected.
87.3m litres of unmarked petrol
One of the most disturbing findings was that 87.3 million litres (87,387,400 litres) of petrol were distributed between January 2023 and May 2026 without undergoing the mandatory fuel marking process.
Fuel marking is one of the country’s principal quality assurance mechanisms designed to verify the authenticity and quality of petroleum products before they reach consumers.
However, auditors found significant discrepancies between the volumes of fuel marked and those eventually distributed under the Uniform Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF).
Because the products were never marked before distribution, the Auditor-General said there was no assurance that the fuel sold at pumps met the required quality standards.
The report further warned that the failure also exposed the state to possible tax evasion since authorities could not verify whether the appropriate taxes and UPPF margins had been collected on the unmarked products.
Weak monitoring opened the door to substandard fuel
The audit further exposed major weaknesses in the NPA’s monitoring regime at retail fuel stations.
Although the Authority conducted routine physical inspections of filling stations, it failed to ensure that all retail outlets installed and maintained fully functional Automatic Tank Gauging Systems (ATGS)—a technology designed to continuously monitor underground fuel storage tanks for contamination, leakage and abnormal product levels.
The report found that out of approximately 4,000 retail fuel stations nationwide, only 3,443 had ATGS installed, leaving 557 filling stations operating without the mandatory monitoring system.
Even more worrying, of the 3,443 stations equipped with ATGS, only 1,813 were fully automated, while 1,630 were only partially automated, significantly reducing the effectiveness of continuous monitoring.
According to the Auditor-General, the absence or malfunctioning of ATGS made it possible for filling stations to stock and sell inferior petroleum products before scheduled NPA inspections.
“The absence and non-functionality of Automatic Tank Gauging Systems made it possible for retail outlets to stock and sell inferior products prior to NPA’s scheduled monitoring,” the report stated.
19.82 % decline in physical inspections
Despite a growing number of fuel stations, the NPA reduced its planned monitoring activities by 19.82% between 2023 and 2025.
Inspections fell from 32,012 inspections in 2023 to 30,334 in 2024 before dropping sharply to 25,598 in 2025.
During the same period, however, the number of licensed retail fuel outlets increased by 1.27%, rising from 3,950 in 2023 to 4,000 in 2025.
The widening gap between regulatory oversight and the growing number of fuel stations created another significant enforcement loopholes, exposing consumers to the risk of contaminated and substandard fuel being sold at the pumps.
Real cases of contaminated fuel
The audit cited several real-life incidents demonstrating how contaminated fuel reached consumers before regulators detected the problem.
In one case, officials from the Petroleum Product Monitoring System (PPMS) visited the GOIL Service Station at Zuarungu in Bolgatanga on August 18, 2023, where fuel successfully passed the mandatory marker test.
However, only six days later, on August 24, 2023, a customer complained that petrol purchased from the same station contained water.
The Station Manager confirmed the complaint.
A follow-up inspection by the NPA on August 25 discovered approximately 180 litres of water inside the underground storage tank.
The findings raised questions about how contaminated fuel entered the storage facility immediately after passing official quality tests and how consumers continued purchasing the product before the contamination was detected.
36,000 litres sold before investigation
Another case occurred at Nasona Oil Outlet at Kanvili in the Northern Region.
A consumer reported on January 9, 2025 that diesel purchased on October 10, 2024 contained water.
The retail outlet manager confirmed the complaint.
Investigations revealed that the filling station had sold 36,000 litres of diesel to the public between October 10, 2024 and January 9, 2025 before the complaint reached the NPA.
By the time investigators arrived, all the fuel had already been sold, making it impossible for the Authority to conduct the required marker concentration test.
The Auditor-General described the incident as evidence that contaminated petroleum products could remain on the market for months before detection.
Vehicle damaged by contaminated fuel
The report also cited another incident involving Mobik Service Station in the Western Region.
On April 29, 2025, a driver purchased petrol from the company’s Fijai branch before buying additional fuel the following day from its Nkroful Junction station.
Soon afterwards, the vehicle developed severe engine problems, including jerking, knocking sounds and excessive smoke.
The owner drained the fuel into a 25-litre container and returned it to the filling station.
Subsequent laboratory marker tests conducted by the NPA confirmed that fuel samples from both stations were substandard.
The Auditor-General said the incident demonstrated that the Authority’s monthly and bi-monthly monitoring programmes were failing to detect quality defects before they affected consumers.
Thousands of fuel trucks operating without licences
Beyond retail stations, auditors also uncovered serious failures in the regulation of petroleum transportation.
As of April 9, 2026, only 2,514 of Ghana’s 4,904 Bulk Road Vehicles (BRVs) transporting petroleum products held valid operating licences.
This represented only 51.3% of the national fuel transport fleet, meaning 2,390 tanker trucks were operating without valid licences.
According to the report, NPA management admitted that these vehicles had not been deactivated because doing so could disrupt nationwide fuel distribution.
The Auditor-General rejected the explanation, warning that allowing unlicensed fuel tankers to continue transporting petroleum products meant there was no assurance they met the required technical, safety and environmental standards.
The report warned that poorly maintained fuel tankers increase the risk of contamination during transportation and threaten both fuel quality and public safety.
How substandard fuel reaches consumers
The audit illustrates a chain of regulatory failures that enables inferior fuel to reach motorists.
Fuel may first bypass the mandatory marking process before leaving storage depots.
It is then transported, in many cases, by tanker trucks operating without valid licences or adequate regulatory oversight.
Upon arrival at retail stations, many filling stations either lack functioning Automatic Tank Gauging Systems or operate partially automated systems incapable of continuously detecting contamination.
Because NPA relies heavily on scheduled inspections rather than real-time monitoring, contaminated fuel can be sold for days or even months before complaints trigger investigations.
By then, thousands of litres may already have been pumped into motorists’ vehicles.
Consumers bear the cost
The Auditor-General warned that these regulatory weaknesses expose consumers to serious financial and safety risks.
Substandard fuel can damage engines, fuel injectors, pumps and catalytic converters, resulting in expensive repairs for motorists.
Contaminated fuel also increases vehicle emissions, contributes to environmental pollution, reduces engine efficiency and shortens vehicle lifespan.
For commercial transport operators, poor fuel quality translates into higher maintenance costs, reduced productivity and increased operating expenses that may ultimately be passed on to passengers and businesses.
National consequences
Beyond individual motorists, the report warns that the failures carry significant national implications.
Weak regulation undermines confidence in Ghana’s petroleum industry, encourages fuel adulteration and smuggling, exposes the state to tax and UPPF revenue losses and weakens enforcement across the downstream petroleum sector.
The Auditor-General concluded that unless the NPA strengthens fuel marking, enforces the installation and operation of Automatic Tank Gauging Systems, properly licenses and monitors fuel transport vehicles and enhances real-time surveillance of retail outlets, consumers will remain vulnerable to purchasing substandard petroleum products while the country continues to suffer financial and regulatory losses.
The findings constitute one of the strongest indictments yet of Ghana’s fuel quality assurance system and are expected to intensify pressure on the National Petroleum Authority to urgently overhaul its regulatory and monitoring operations.
