Several Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) in Ghana are grappling with fuel shortages at their service stations, citing operational challenges at the ports.
Both state-owned GOIL PLC and private operator Star Oil Ghana have linked the disruptions to a technical outage of the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), a critical digital platform used to process tax payments and facilitate the lifting of petroleum products from depots.
In separate statements, the companies reported that the ICUMS outage, which began on Thursday, has thrown the national petroleum supply chain into disarray. GOIL PLC announced that the technical difficulties have prevented the company from lifting products for distribution, causing some of its stations across the country to experience temporary shortages.
Edward Abambire Bawa, Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of GOIL, expressed regret over the inconvenience and assured customers that management is working with relevant authorities to restore normal fuel supply as soon as possible.
Star Oil Ghana echoed similar concerns, emphasizing that the shortages are not a result of hoarding in anticipation of a price hike. The company explained that the problem was exacerbated by a public holiday on Friday, which delayed planned petroleum lifting operations for Saturday. “Unfortunately, the GRA ICUMS system was down throughout the day, preventing all OMCs from processing the necessary documentation to load products,” Star Oil stated.
As of Monday, March 9, 2026, the technical challenges persist, affecting the entire downstream petroleum industry. Star Oil noted that its service stations, which typically sell high volumes relative to tank capacity, have been particularly affected by the disruption.
The company assured customers that it is monitoring the situation closely and will resume restocking as soon as the system is restored.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com