The chiefs and people of the Upper West Region have welcomed government’s flagship Cylinder Recirculation Model (CRM) policy to increase access to Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) in a safe and convenient environment.
They pledged to be worthy ambassadors of the policy implemented by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).
This follows months of public sensitization including extensive stakeholder consultations, radio/television adverts and community engagements undertaken by the NPA across the country on the policy to get the buy-in of the Ghanaian populace.
The past three days, a team from NPA, intensify CRM community engagements in the Upper West Region.
The team held meetings with various stakeholders and identifiable groups including members of the GPRTU and LPG retailers in the region. They also participated in series of media interviews on local stations to sensitize the people of the region on the policy.
The CRM community engagements were climaxed with a mammoth durbar held on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in the Upper West regional capital, Wa.
The durbar, which was Area, Naa Kuoro Osman Deiwia Nankpa III, had in attendance other traditional leaders from the various paramouncies in the Upper West Region as well as religious leaders, traders and market women, representatives from the security agencies, MMDAs, GPRTU, EPA, LPG retailers, CSOs, political parties, youth groups and tertiary students.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Hon. Steven Yakubu was the Special Guest of Honour. Also in attendance was Naa Jamal Adama Kpeglaa, a representative of the Overlord of the Waala traditional area.
In his keynote address, Mr. Saeed Ubeidallah Kutia, Head of Quality Control at the NPA, who spoke on behalf of the Chief Executive, Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, justified the introduction of the CRM, and said the policy would see to the availability of LPG in every nook and cranny of the country particularly the Upper West Region, which happens to be one of the regions with the least patronage of LPG.
The entire region, he noted, has only eight functioning LPG stations thus compelling LPG users to travel far distances in the region to buy the commodity, which development he bemoaned.
Mr. Saeed also touched on the several employment opportunities that the policy will create and implored the people to take advantage of same, while noting that in the month of March, a total of 15 applications were received by the Upper West Regional NPA office from people interested in setting up exchange points as part of the CRM rollout.
He concluded his remarks by giving a firm assurance that all the necessary preparations for the full implementation of the CRM had been done, and urged the people to embrace the policy, which is only meant to bring LPG to consumers in a much safer, convenient and cost-effective manner. Dr. MacJerry Atta Bekoe of the Gas Directorate gave a demonstration on how the CRM would work in a presentation where he highlighted the various stages and role of stakeholders in the recirculation module.
On her part, Mrs. Eunice Budu Nyarko, Head of Consumer Services at the Authority sensitized the people on the proper ways of handling filled LPG cylinders and how they are to be transported. She stressed the importance of adhering to the LPG safety tips to ensure safety and avoid needless fire outbreaks and explosions.
Officers of the Ghana National Fire Service also gave a practical demonstration on how to effectively quench fires with and without fire extinguishers.
During the interaction sessions, the NPA team took turn to answer questions from the audience and adequately responded to all concerns raised.
The CRM message was well received by the chiefs and people of the region who did not miss any opportunity to commend the Authority for the sensitization and worthwhile engagements. Indeed, the Regional Minister and all the traditional leaders were ad idem in commending the NPA and the government of Ghana for this great initiative, while pledging to be worthy ambassadors of the policy.
The Overlord of the Waala Traditional Area speaking through one of his subchiefs, Naa Jamal Adama Kpeglaa, was concerned about the citing of all the bottling plants for the CRM in the southern part of the country with none in the north. He therefore appealed to government and all stakeholders to facilitate the setting up of at least one bottling plant in the north preferably in the Upper West Region to boost economic activities. He also advocated for alternative livelihood support programmes for people engaged in firewood and charcoal business. The NPA team promised to bring these concerns to the attention of the relevant authorities.