The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has revealed that the Government of Ghana lost more than GH¢600 million in tax revenue in 2025 due to unaccounted petroleum products, raising concerns about leakages within the downstream petroleum sector.
The figure, linked to approximately 199 million litres of petroleum products that could not be properly accounted for, highlights significant gaps in monitoring, reporting, and enforcement across the fuel distribution chain.
According to industry analysts, petroleum taxes, including excise duties, energy sector levies, and value-added tax (VAT) constitute a substantial portion of Ghana’s domestic revenue.
The loss of over GH¢600 million therefore, represents not just a fiscal setback but a broader structural challenge for revenue mobilisation efforts in an economy already grappling with debt pressures, unemployment and expenditure constraints.
From the Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies, the unaccounted volumes represent 2.1 per cent of the country’s total petroleum supply for the year.
Data from GRA and the Ministry of Finance consistently show that petroleum-related taxes are among the most reliable revenue streams for the state.
However, weak tracking systems, under-declaration, fuel diversion, and possible smuggling continue to undermine revenue collection.
The scale of the unaccounted volumes suggests that existing regulatory and technological frameworks may not be sufficiently robust to track fuel movements from importation to final sale.
The issue also aligns with longstanding concerns raised by oversight bodies such as the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC), which has repeatedly called for improved transparency and accountability in the management of petroleum resources.
PIAC reports indicate that Ghana’s petroleum sector has historically faced challenges in revenue tracking and compliance, despite generating over $1.43 billion in petroleum receipts in 2022 alone.
In response to these challenges, the GRA has, in recent years, introduced digital systems such as the Integrated Customs Management Systems (ICUMS) and recommends that all modular refineries be integrated into the ICUMS system to track inflows, production, and outflows.
Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies has stated that this system is already improving transaction times and could help curb revenue leakages if fully implemented and enforced.
Despite these interventions, the report insists that technology alone will not solve the problem.
It is, therefore, calling for stricter enforcement, real-time tracking of petroleum products, enhanced inter-agency collaboration, and tougher sanctions for offenders in the fuel supply chain.
These findings, as contained in the 2025 Petroleum Product Analysis Report, which provides a comprehensive overview of Ghana’s petroleum sector performance and emerging risks, show that the GH¢600 million loss underscores the urgent need for reforms in Ghana’s petroleum downstream sector.
