Edudzi Tamakloe, head of Ghana’s National Petroleum Authority, testified before the Public Accounts Committee on October 19 that digital tracking systems have significantly reduced human interference in administering the Uniform Petroleum Price Fund. According to MyJoyOnline, Tamakloe explained that the authority introduced technological systems in 2020 to protect funds and ensure payments to Oil Marketing Companies reflect eligible transactions. He stated that the then chief executive and board recognized the need for technology to safeguard the fund, a decision that has since improved the accuracy of claim verification.
Previously, staff from the Bureau of National Investigations conducted physical checks to confirm whether bulk road vehicles transporting petroleum products reached their declared destinations. Tamakloe noted that this dependence on human interaction created openings for inconsistencies and potential interference. He described the manual process as prone to various errors, which the new digital infrastructure aims to eliminate by providing direct and timely information on vehicle movements.
The new system allows the NPA to track bulk road vehicles from the start of a journey until arrival at their final destinations. This capability enables the authority to validate claims using recorded movement data instead of depending only on physical inspections or details provided by the companies. MyJoyOnline reported that the system also includes a mechanism to flag tampering, making it harder to process claims based on journeys that lack supporting tracking data. Tamakloe emphasized that Oil Marketing Companies must register on the NPA’s portal to interact with the authority, establishing a shared digital framework for oversight.
Tamakloe credited the current state of the system not just to technology, but also to efforts by the authority’s management committee and other staff. He stated that combining deployment, management work, and digital tools has produced the current operational environment. The UPPF supports uniform petroleum pricing across Ghana by addressing transportation cost differences between locations. While the digital infrastructure strengthens checks on transportation-related claims, Tamakloe’s testimony did not include specific figures on how much human interference decreased or the financial savings achieved. The exact financial impact on the fund’s overall performance awaits further data from the authority.