A great journey is indeed coming to an end at the National Petroleum Authority (NPA). A journey of vigour, upliftment, innovation, and growth. That is the journey the NPA Chief Executive, Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, has embarked upon in the last four years.
It is mostly difficult for academicians and politicians to transition into the technical space or industry but Dr. Abdul-Hamid has belied that notion. He was appointed NPA Chief Executive in 2021 for a four-year term with a background in academia and political leadership as a Minister. He transitioned seamlessly into a guru in the country’s downstream petroleum industry. He is credited for ensuring uninterrupted importation and supply of fuel products in the country in difficult moments when other African countries were experiencing shortages. His acumen went beyond the borders of Ghana, encouraging downstream petroleum industry players in Africa to elect him as the President of the African Refiners and Distributors Association (ARDA), the first-ever pan-African organization for the downstream oil sector.
In recent interviews with Directors at the NPA and players in the downstream petroleum industry, the unanimity of views is that Dr. Abdul-Hamid has introduced significant policies and brought stability and sanity into the industry. They all touted his progressive and human-centred leadership style. His impact on the Authority in his four-year journey thus far is enormous. Snippets from the effects can be considered for the sake of brevity.
Relating to innovation and drive, the impact is evident in the implementation of key policy programmes of the Authority. He has implemented the cylinder recirculation model (CRM) policy to cater for the current intricate distribution concept and ensure safety in the distribution chain of LPG. He has also introduced a tender programme for the importation of LPG. The programme has achieved its intended purpose of eliminating huge jumps in the price of LPG. It has brought down the cost of LPG premium from about $100 per metric tonne (MT) to about $30 MT, saving the country about $70 MT. He again supported the implementation of technological systems to ensure fuel integrity, effective monitoring of fuel transportation, and protection of customer interests.
The NPA has witnessed exponential growth in revenue generation for the state and infrastructure development through Dr. Abdul-Hamid’s drive. The collection of levies and margins have shot up from a little over 50 percent to above 90 percent.
The vigour that Dr. Abdul-Hamid introduced to the NPA is visible in the media presence of the Authority. His background as a former Minister of Information might have played a part in how the organization has been receiving the media mileage.
An aspect of Dr. Abdul-Hamid’s vigour is manifest in his ability to crack the whip no matter the supposed political affiliation of the offending party in the industry. With the support of the Board, he revoked the licenses of almost 80 Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) over the past three years due to their failure to meet regulatory requirements. His strong position has brought sanity to the country’s downstream petroleum industry .
On restructuring the Authority, he also led a process by the Corporate Affairs Directorate to rebrand the Authority regarding the look and feel. Dr Abdul-Hamid believed there was a need to refresh the brand to reflect the positive direction and vision of the Authority, hence, the launch of a new logo, new color schemes, and typography. The reception area was redesigned to give an exotic ambiance for receiving visitors. He commissioned a call centre for the Authority to increase efficiency and timeous handling of customer complaints and inquiries. The name of the NPA was broadly mounted at the frontages of the Authority for easy identification.
In terms of upliftment, it is an understatement to say Dr. Abdul-Hamid has put smiles on the faces of the staff of the NPA. He pushed for general promotions, which have been delayed for years. He also approved several training programmes for the staff to improve their performance in line with corporate goals.
Another significant upliftment drive initiated by Dr. Abdul-Hamid was his encouragement of young managers to be more visible in the media to explain technical issues. That push prepared the young leaders to take up director positions.
Besides, he promoted religious tolerance and cohesion at NPA; he allowed for morning prayer services for Christians and created an opportunity for Muslims to observe their daily and Friday (Jum’a) prayers at a designated place, which was unprecedented. His modesty is sublime as he introduced a policy of sitting in common buses with his Deputies, Directors, Heads of Department, and officers for external meetings and sporting activities.
An office annex has been constructed at the Authority’s head office in Accra. The new building has a laboratory for testing fuel quality and offices. No wonder he has won many awards from industry watchers, including the 2021 and 2022 CEO for the Year and 2022 Outstanding Public Sector Leader.
As Dr. Abdul-Hamid prepares to end his four-year tenure as NPA CE, the joy is that he has left his footprints in the sands of NPA and the downstream petroleum industry in Ghana and Africa. It is indeed a strong mark and the industry will be better for it.
Originally published by Modern Ghana. Read original article.
