By Mohamed M. Sesay in Makeni & Kemo Cham in Freetown
The Sierra Leone government has announced a new set of pump prices for petroleum products, prompting a sudden increase in transportation fares and fears of further economic hardship.
According to a statement from the Petroleum Regulatory Agency (PPA), the prices for a liter of petrol, diesel, kerosene and fuel oil are now Le18, 000, up from Le15, 000. The new prices, the statement notes, take effect immediately.
Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Haja Isata Kamara, first made the official announcement at a meeting with stakeholders in the petroleum and transport sectors, including representatives from the PPA, Ministry of Transport and the Oil Marketing Companies.
The Transport Ministry later issued a separate statement outlining a new set of public transportation fares within the Freetown municipality and provincial/cross-border routes. It shows that the lowest transport fare is now Le3, 000, from Lumley in the west end of Freetown to Bus Station in the center of the city, up from Le2, 500.
The highest fare is between Lumley and Jui at Le10, 800 from Le9, 000. The Waterloo Bombay Street route is the second largest fare at 6, 600, from Le5, 500.
As expected, this development has sparked concerns in the ever wary Sierra Leonean public, amid fears of the effect on the prices of basic goods and services.
Prior to Thursday’s announcement, queues at fuel stations had been growing, sparking rumors of a possible increment in the prices. There was a severe shortage in public transportation across Freetown and in other major towns, with many commuters left stranded at car parks.
Drivers of the few available vehicles unilaterally increased their fares.
Long queues were also reported in provincial towns across the country. In the northern city of Makeni, most of the fuel stations were closed for most part of the day. The few that were selling increased their prices even before the official announcement.
Secondary school teacher Edwin Kargbo was surprised when he turned up at the Safecon fuel station on Rogbaneh Road in Makeni City. He said he had just come from invigilating an examination session and went to get two liters of fuel for his motor bike.
“I had Le 30,000 with me for two liters of petrol, only to be told that the price had gone up to Le18, 000,” he told Manoreporters.
Taxi driver Abu Baker Kamara, who runs between Makeni and Makawe in neighboring Karene District, couldn’t work the whole of the day due to unavailability of fuel.
A frustrated Mr Kamara warned that the increase in pump prices will affect the already suffering ordinary man.
“Petrol is the mediator for transportation in Sierra Leone, and the transport system plays a pivotal role in influencing the prices of other goods,” he said, calling on the government to take control over the issue of petrol.
Prior to Thursday’s announcement the PPA issued a list comparing pump prices among 15 African countries. According to the list, Sierra Leone had the lowest pump price at L15, 000, compared to neighbour Liberia where the price for petrol is the equivalent of Le16,049 and diesel Le18, 881.
The list shows that Mauritius, Morocco, and South African have the highest prices of petrol, while South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana have the highest prices of diesel.
Going by this list, it will not be surprising to see further increment in pump prices in Sierra Leone. The PPA says the decision is driven by international factors, noting that the currently climb in prices is driven by global supply declines.
“Sierra Leone’s fuel prices are adjusted monthly which is driven by international factors, which includes refined products at a predetermined price set at global markets including cost of importation, shipping costs and premium,” the agency says.
