Kennedy Agyapong outlines plans to solve fuel price increment as president

Kennedy Agyapong, a presidential aspirant hopeful of the new Patriotic Party has outlined his plans solve the perennial fuel price hikes that hit the country.

Kennedy Agyapong holds that the key to solving the fuel price issues lies in diversifying fuel production and refinement in the country.

Kennedy Agyapong said on Oman FM that he has already engaged some Indian business partners on expanding Ghana’s capacity.

He disclosed plans to use cassava to produce fuel with the view that a local production of fuel will cure the challenge of price hikes.

He recounted a story of how a Ghanaian petroleum expert who had similar plans was denied the opportunity to implement his actions due to his relations with former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings.

“Last week during my birthday I had some Indians come around. They said they were looking for ethanol, what is ethanol? It is simply corn, fermented. When ethanol is extracted and mixed with the fuel we have it becomes cheaper by 20%. So that is my answer to your question about reducing fuel prices. We can use corn to produce ethanol. We can use cassava to produce ethanol and mix it with our fuel. You can have all the scientists confirm this for you.

“So the guy (the Indian) was saying that if we have these tracks of land, they will bring Indian spirit and the Indian spirit he is talking about is the work of a Ghanaian lecturer at the university of…. faculty of agriculture. They are the ones who solved India and Ethiopia’s problem but he is not appreciated. We don’t appreciate him. A Ghanaian has been able to solve famine in India and now they are coming to teach us. Why don’t we appreciate our own people? Why don’t we appreciate successful people and rather envy? The man came here to do same for Ghana and what they said is his wife is a sister of Nana Konadu and so they won’t allow him. Jesus Christ!” he said.

The persistent increase in fuel prices has generated criticism for the government

Currently, the national average price of fuel per litre at the pumps is pegged at GH¢11 and GH¢14 for Gasoline and Gasoil respectively.

For the last pricing window, which was the second pricing window of June, prices of fuel on the local market increased by over 4%. The price of Gasoil and Gasoline increased by 5% and 3% respectively.