Nigeria, Togo, Benin and Cote d’Ivoire have joined Ghana to adopt low sulphur diesel fuel standards in 2017. A sub-regional high level ministerial meeting on low sulphur fuels that was hosted by the Nigeria Federal Minister of Environment Hon. Mrs. Amina L. Mohamed on 1 December 2016 in Abuja, Nigeria agreed to the import low sulphur diesel fuels (50 ppm) from 1 July 2017. However, the refineries were granted waivers to upgrade their facilities to produce low sulphur fuels by 2020.
Countries that were present at the meeting that committed to low sulphur diesel standards are Nigeria, Togo, Benin and Cote d’Ivoire. Ghana had already committed to implement low sulphur diesel standards from March 2017.
This is a major achievement for the sub-region as Nigeria accounts for over half of the diesel market in the West Africa region hence the move to low sulphur fuels will have a significant impact on the diesel standard in the sub-region.
The countries also committed to implement cleaner vehicle policies and work with the ECOWAS Commission towards sub-regional fuel and vehicle standards harmonization by 2020.
Click to view the Communique on the same as well as the press release
Other articles as covered in the press:
- https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/dec/06/five-west-african-countries-ban-dirty-diesel-from-europe-nigeria-ghana
- http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-38210868
- http://unep.org/newscentre/Default.aspx?DocumentID=27090&ArticleID=36322&l=en
- http://www.ccacoalition.org/en/news/west-african-countries-ban-europe%E2%80%99s-dirty-fuel-imports
- http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2016/12/02/l-afrique-de-l-ouest-ne-veut-plus-etre-intoxiquee-au-diesel-soufre_5041897_3244.html
- http://sdg.iisd.org/news/west-african-countries-introduce-emissions-standards-in-fuels/
