The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has confirmed sharp increases in minimum fuel price floors for the second pricing window of March 2026, effective Sunday, March 16, with petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) all recording significant jumps from their current levels.
Under the new floors, petrol will sell at a minimum of GH¢11.57 per litre, up from GH¢10.46 during the March 1 to 15 window. Diesel has seen the steepest rise, climbing to GH¢14.35 per litre from GH¢11.42, an increase of GH¢2.93 within the same month. LPG will move to GH¢10.67 per kilogramme from GH¢9.38, adding GH¢1.29 to its floor price.
The adjustments confirm projections released earlier this week by the Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC), which had forecast petrol rising 16.93 percent, diesel 17.21 percent, and LPG 11.26 percent in the second half of March. COMAC attributed the increases to a surge in global crude oil prices driven by the ongoing US-Israel military campaign against Iran, which began on February 28, and disruptions to oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
The NPA clarified that the confirmed floor prices exclude additional cost components including premiums charged by International Oil Trading Companies (IOTCs), operating margins for Bulk Import, Distribution and Export Companies (BIDECs), and individual dealer margins. Actual pump prices paid by consumers are therefore expected to be higher than the published floors once all components are factored in.
The March 16 window also marks the formal end of selective fuel discount programmes. The NPA this week directed all Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and LPG Marketing Companies (LPGMCs) to charge identical prices across every outlet in their network, a move that eliminates the discounted pump prices some operators had been offering at selected stations. Ghana’s Energy Minister Dr John Abdulai Jinapor has confirmed that the country currently holds approximately five weeks of strategic fuel stocks, providing a short-term supply buffer.
