Director General of the National Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NPRA), Brima Baluwa Koroma, this week briefed Parliament’s Committee on Trade and Industry on recent developments in Sierra Leone’s downstream petroleum sector, outlining the regulator’s mandate, policy priorities and ongoing interventions to protect consumers, industry operators and government interests.
Koroma told committee members that the responsibilities of the NPRA are based on the National Petroleum Regulatory Authority Act, 2025, which provides the Authority with the power to regulate the downstream sector to ensure that it is efficient, competitive and safe.
The work of the regulator is to strike a careful balance between three core stakeholders, he said. Consumers, petroleum industry operators and the state. “A top priority is to protect consumers with fair fuel pricing,” Koroma said, also stressing the need for operators to have reasonable returns on investment to be able to attract and retain domestic and foreign investors. The Authority, he said, also supports the Government’s fiscal objectives by enabling sustainable revenue generation from the petroleum value chain.
Responding to concerns raised by Parliament about the quality of fuels imported into Sierra Leone, President Koroma said petroleum products imported into the country conform to internationally accepted quality standards. He said the market today has fuels with additives that enhance engine performance and technologies that reduce harmful emissions.
The Director General announced that the NPRA would be meeting the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in August to work on fuel quality and vehicle emissions to increase cooperation on environmental and emissions issues. He invited one or two members of the Parliamentary Committee on Trade and Industry to take part in those discussions.
Koroma also noted regional developments in fuel quality, saying the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) adopted a 50 ppm standard from a 1,000 parts per million (ppm) sulphur standard as part of regional efforts to protect public health and the environment. He noted that Sierra Leone’s fuel pricing system currently allows the importation of petroleum products with a sulphur content of 10 ppm, which was above the regional benchmark.
On market transparency, the Director General applauded the Ministry of Finance for the subscription to Platts by the NPRA in 2020. “The Authority was dependent on Oil Marketing Companies for international petroleum price information before the subscription; access to Platts has boosted the NPRA’s independence and transparency in setting fuel prices,” he observed. Koroma also congratulated Oil Marketing Companies for maintaining high standards of quality of petroleum products supplied to the Sierra Leonean market in general.
On downstream infrastructure and safety, Koroma told the committee the NPRA has imposed a moratorium on the construction of new filling stations since March as it conducts a review of existing applications. The exercise is aimed at ensuring that the proposed facilities comply with safety and environmental rules, he said, adding that some applicants will be approved while others will be rejected to protect public safety. He distributed copies of the NPRA’s Gas Station Regulations to Members of Parliament and urged them to help educate communities on the dangers of siting filling stations near schools, hospitals, markets and other public institutions.
The briefing is part of the committee’s oversight engagement with the National Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NPRA) and Oil Marketing Companies. The Director General’s presentation highlighted the regulator’s commitment to strike a balance between consumer protection, industry viability and national fiscal goals while improving fuel quality and safety standards.
