NPA CEO Inaugurates Multi-Stakeholder Bitumen Technical Committee

Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority(NPA), Mr. Godwin Kudzo Tameklo (Esq.)on Wednesday 17th June 2026, inaugurated a 16-member multi-stakeholder Bitumen Technical Committee.
The committee has been tasked with developing a robust regulatory framework to guide the quality, regulation, and use of bitumen in Ghana’s road construction sector.
The Bitumen industry has existed in Ghana for several years and plays a critical role in the development and maintenance of the road infrastructure in the country, however there is no dedicated regulatory framework governing key activities such as importation, storage, transportation, distribution and quality assurance.
The committee will be chaired by Mr. Abass Tasunti, Director of Economic Regulation and Planning (ER&P) at the NPA, with Ms. Bridgette A. Turkson, Acting Director of the Licensing Directorate serving as Co-Chair.
Other members include representatives from the NPA’s Quality Assurance, Licensing, Inspections Monitoring and HSE, and Economic Regulation and Planning Directorates, as well as key stakeholders from the Ghana Highways Authority (GHA), Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Ghana Revenue Authority (Customs Division), and the Ministry of Roads and Highways.
Speaking on the importance of the Bitumen Technical Committee, Chief Executive Officer of the NPA, Mr. Tameklo(Esq), said the committee would ensure that Bitumen produced or imported meets the required standards.
“ The road sector is a huge consumer of bitumen and the concern is coming primarily from that sector as to the quality of the product that is available, as long as it is a by-product from the refinery, then it comes directly under NPA and we have the responsibility to ensure that the Bitumen that comes into the country is of good quality, Mr Tameklo said.
“You will notice that the technical committee comprises members from NPA, Ghana Standards Authority and Ghana Highways so that we can work together to ensure Ghana produces Bitumen which is of good quality.”
The NPA CEO also noted that the inclusion of representatives from various stakeholders would help ensure a collaborative approach towards developing a comprehensive regulatory framework.
“The technical committee has enough multi-stakeholder representation even though it is heavily tilted towards NPA,this is a very critical committee, and I want all of you to do your best, no compromises, let’s do it for Ghana.”
Chairperson of the committee, Mr. Abass Tasunti expressed confidence in the committee’s ability to deliver on its mandate and encouraged members to contribute actively to the process.
“Bitumen is a critical product in the country, almost all our roads are constructed with it, so it is important that we pay attention to it,
“As a regulator, any product that comes out of petroleum products including Bitumen, the NPA must have some oversight rule over it and so we have been having discussions with stakeholders in the past to develop a framework to ensure whatever Bitumen is produced meets international standards,
“The diversity of this committee is to ensure that the best is given, so I want to encourage everyone to participate fully in what the committee has been tasked to do, so we can develop a feasible framework.” Mr.Tasunti said.
The inauguration of the Bitumen Technical Committee marks a significant step in NPA’s efforts to strengthen quality assurance and regulatory oversight within the petroleum downstream sector.