{
  "id": 1923593,
  "title": "Safety standards violations persist at some fuel stations in Northern Ghana",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/safety-standards-violations-persist-at-some-fuel-stations-in-northern",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-19T07:10:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "GBC Ghana",
    "slug": "gbc-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.gbcghanaonline.com/general/safety-standards-violations-persist-at-some-fuel-stations-in-northern-ghana/2026/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Safety issues persist at some fuel stations in Northern Ghana, according to a recent mystery shopping exercise by the Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC). The investigation, which took place in the Northern, Savannah, North East, Upper East and Upper West regions, aimed to assess safety compliance and operational standards at selected fuel stations. During the exercise, COMAC observed several concerning practices among motorists and customers.\n\nOne of the primary concerns was motorists refueling motorcycles without dismounting, which poses a significant risk due to the high flammability of motorcycles. Additionally, COMAC found instances of people selling or transporting fuel in inappropriate containers, such as bottles. The Chief Executive of COMAC, Dr. Riverson Oppong, expressed shock at the level of non-compliance observed at many fuel stations, stating that there is a lack of adherence to safety measures in most outlets visited.\n\nDr. Oppong cited specific examples, including a father and son filling their motorbike with the son sitting in front of him, which is an extremely dangerous practice. The Head of Compliance and Operations at COMAC, Billey-Abdullah Al-Assad, further highlighted the challenges faced by the organization. He noted that the safety issues remain persistent, with many motorists failing to dismount before refueling. COMAC also examined the functionality of Automatic Tank Gauging (ATG) systems at fuel stations, identifying issues with both operational and non-operational systems.\n\nAl-Assad explained that COMAC assessed 20 fuel stations from Navrongo to Bolga, emphasizing that these findings will be compiled into a comprehensive report and shared with the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) to strengthen safety practices and address operational challenges at fuel retail outlets.",
  "summary": "By: Mabel Adorkor Annang Safety concerns continue to emerge at some fuel retail outlets at some regions in the North. Motorists are also flouting basic safety protocols while refuelling. The Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC) identified these concerns during a mystery shopping exercise aimed at assessing safety compliance and operational standards at selected fuel stations […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}