The chiefs and people of the Upper West Region have welcomed the government’s flagship Cylinder Recirculation Model (CRM) policy to increase access to Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) in a safe and convenient environment.

They pledged to be worthy ambassadors of the policy which  is being  implemented by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).

This follows months of public sensitization, including extensive stakeholder consultations, radio/television adverts and community engagements undertaken by the Authority across the country on the policy to get the buy-in of the Ghanaian populace.

Delivering the keynote address on behalf on the NPA boss, Dr. Maustapha Abdul-Hamid, at a durbar to climax  the CRM Community Engagements in the region, Saeed Ubeidallah Kutia, Head of Quality Control at the NPA, justified the introduction of the CRM.

He said the policy would see to the availability of LPG in every nook and cranny of the country, particularly the Upper West Region, which happens to be one of the regions with the least patronage of LPG.

The entire region, he noted, has only eight functioning LPG stations, thus compelling LPG users to travel far distances in the region to buy the commodity.

Mr Kutia also touched on the several employment opportunities the policy will create, and implored the people to take advantage of same. He noted that, in March, a total of 15 applications were received by the Upper West Regional NPA office from people interested in setting up exchange points as part of the CRM rollout.

He gave a firm assurance that all the necessary preparations for the full implementation of the CRM had been done, and urged the people to embrace the policy, which is only meant to bring LPG to consumers in a much safer, convenient and cost-effective manner.

The Head of Consumer Services at NPA, Mrs. Eunice Budu Nyarko,  sensitised the people on the proper ways of handling filled LPG cylinders and how they are to be transported.

She stressed the importance of adhering to the LPG safety tips to ensure safety, and avoid needless fire outbreaks and explosions.

As part of activities for the day, officers of the Ghana National Fire Service also gave practical demonstrations on how to effectively quench fires with and without fire extinguishers.

The Overlord of the Waala Traditional Area, Naa Jamal Adama Kpeglaa, was concerned about the siting of all the bottling plants for the CRM in the southern part of the country, with none in the north.

He therefore appealed to government and all stakeholders to facilitate the setting up of at least one bottling plant in the north, preferably in the Upper West Region, to boost economic activities.

He also advocated alternative livelihood support programmes for people engaged in firewood and charcoal business. The NPA team promised to bring these concerns to the attention of the relevant authorities.

Present at the durbar were the Regional Minister, Steven Yakubu, traditional leaders from the various paramouncies in the Upper West Region as well as religious leaders, traders and market women, representatives from the security agencies, MMDAs, GPRTU, EPA, LPG retailers, CSOs, political parties, youth groups and tertiary students.