One of Ghana’s leading Oil Marketing Companies (OMC), Star Oil is embarking on an expansion project to get more outlets across the length and breadth of the country to help meet its customers’ growing demand.
The company currently has about 116 outlets across the country but with the deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector, the company has given clear indication that it is building more fuel filling stations to serve its growing customers.
Speaking in an interview with the DAILY HERITAGE, Marketing Manager of the Company, Awuku Larbi said they are not comfortable with their current position in the market; hence the need to expand their outlets.
“There is a paradigm shift, we have started building more fueling filling stations in places such as Takoradi, Dowenya-Aflao road, Kumasi and other parts of the country and in prime locations, to better serve our customers,” Mr. Larbi noted.
According to him, “Star Oil gives its customers value for money, dispenses the right quantity and quality with the most competitive price on the market.”
“We have also provided VC gauge that can always be demanded for by the customer to check whether the right quantity of fuel is dispensed,” Mr. Larbi added.
On the effects of the currency volatility, he stated that OMCs can benefit depending on the arrangement they have with their suppliers to help mitigate the effects.
The Marketing Manager also stated that government has to fully withdraw itself from the business of pricing fuel and added that although the subsidy is beneficial to Ghanaians, it goes to benefit the private businessmen instead of the socially vulnerable that are being targeted.
He said government can now use the resources for subsidizing fuel for other projects to benefit those that are socially disadvantaged.
Speaking on the law to govern the deregulation, Mr. Larbi explained that without the law, implementation may not be very smooth, but the process is in the public good as against the written law.
“The law can come later to legitimize deregulation because there is no way Ghana government can continue subsidizing fuel, but as it stands now the process needs to continue because it will benefit the consumer more,” he stressed.
Star Oil was incorporated in 1998 as a wholly Ghanaian-owned OMC and has taken advantage of the growing number of consumers to expand its outlets to meet demand. Currently, Star Oil is at the fourth position in terms of market share.
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