The Automated Premix Fuel Distribution System is a fuel management and tank gauging system designed to enhance the effective and efficient management of premix fuel. The System consists of PSS 5000 Forecourt Controller, TLS4 Automatic Tank Gauge, Payment Termina (TR1000), Tag Reader and Printer and Remote Monitoring.
The automation system will help improve data on fishers, determine the actual premix consumption, monitor the distribution and sale of premix fuel, reduce the complex payment processes and eliminate premix fuel diversions.
The provision of the automated system is part of the Government’s digitalisation agenda to improve effectiveness and efficiency in service delivery. The automating premix fuel distribution forms an integral part of the Ministry’s strategy to modernize the fisheries sector to enhance its contribution to national development.
Another important aspect of the strategy is the introduction of the Canoe Identification System (CIS), aims at enhancing the regulation and access to fisheries resources, provide recognition and legitimacy to canoe owners as well as assist in the provision of Government support including the supply of Premix Fuel.
The PSS 5000 Forecourt Controller is the communications hub of the automation system. It
controls, communicates with, and collects data from all forecourt equipment on a site. The data is stored on the PSS 5000 and forwarded to the control room at the National Premix Fuel Secretariat (NPFS) for analysis. The PSS 5000 has a dedicated real-time operating system and a back-up battery thereby eliminating the failures associated with PC-based systems.
The TLS-4 Automatic Tank Gauge provides complete inventory control by replacing inefficient manual processes with highly accurate, temperature compensated tank, leak detection and delivery data collection. The PSS 5000 and TLS-4 work together to provide a powerful reconciliation system. The Automatic Tank Gauge assist in generating variance and reconciliation reports which helps to identify and reduce fuel losses due to theft, leakages etc.
The Payment Terminal (TR1000) will be mounted on the Dispenser. The Terminal has a card, QR Code, 2D barcode, magnetic card, chip and pin card readers. To access the premix fuel, a fisherman presents the card reader on which the quantity of fuel allocated is loaded. The card will be placed on the Payment Terminal which sends the details on the card to the PSS for authorisation. Once authorisation is granted, the card is debited and the pump start dispensing.
WHY THE AUTOMATION DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
The Premix Fuel, a subsidised petroleum product is a key fishing input used by artisanal fishers in the capture fisheries (marine and inland) to power outboard motors for fishing expeditions.
The effective and efficient management of the allocation, distribution and sale of the Fuel is therefore, key in attaining fish self-sufficiency and ensuring the availability of fish to meet protein requirements.
The original idea for introducing the Fuel and the subsidies was to ensure the timely availability of the product to fishers at an affordable price. Since its inception in the 1990s, the allocation, distribution and sale of Premix Fuel has encountered a number of challenges includes irregular supply of Premix Fuel to fishers, proliferation of Premix Fuel sale points owned by individuals rather than fishers, diversion of the product, hoarding and resale of Premix Fuel at exorbitant prices, under declaration of proceeds by some LBCs due to the current manual system of dispensing the Fuel, and non-compliance to health and safety protocols.
The persistence of these challenges continues to undermine the objectives of the intervention as few individuals exploit the deficiencies in the system to enrich themselves at the detriment of the target beneficiaries and the sustenance and growth of the sector.
Several reforms have been introduced to curb the challenges. These reforms include:
- passage of the National Premix Fuel Committee Regulations, 2016 (L.I.2233);
- restructuring of LBCs to streamline the sale of premix fuel 2018;
- installation of tracking devices on trucks to monitor the lifting and distribution of premix fuel in 2018; and
- integration of Metropolitan, Municipal, District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the management and distribution chain which has significantly improved the management of the product in 2018.
However, the continuous operation of the manual dispensing system for the sale of premix fuel at
the Landing Beaches remains a major challenge to the National Premix Fuel Secretariat (NPFS).
KEY CHALLENGES
Among the key challenges confronting the Secretariat are:
- Lack of transparency and accountability in the declaration of proceeds from the sale of Premix Fuel by LBCs;
- frequent fuel spillage and fatal fire outbreaks at Landing Beaches;
- operations of middlemen and hoarding of products at sale points; and
- Financial losses to government due to hoarding, diversion and other illegal practices.
Implementation of the Automation of Premix Fuel Distribution System is to eliminate the challenges associated with the current manual system to enable the NPFS promote efficiency and transparency in the distribution of subsidised premix fuel and to ensure the achievement of the objectives for which government introduced the subsidy.
CURRENT STATE OF THE INTRODUCTION OF THE AUTOMATION DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
The Ministry have been in constant engagement on the subject with the Ministry of Finance
and Ministry of Energy, MMDCEs and Traditional Authorities of coastal and inland fishing
communities.
Key stakeholders in the allocation, distribution, sale and usage of premix fuel have also been
extensively engaged. These include the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), Bulk Distribution Companies (BDCs), Landing Beach Committees (LBCs) and Fisheries Associations.
The Ministry in the quest continued to engage the stakeholders throughout the project
implementation and after for feedback. The Minister in charge of Fisheries and Aquaculture
Development Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson on January 28 2022 met with some stakeholders of the fisheries sector in Accra on the introduction of the digitized machine for the distribution of fuel.
She indicated that under the fully automated premix fuel digitization initiative, fishermen will be obliged to buy premix fuel using their canoe identification cards after their cards are credited with the subsidy amount while reassuring all stakeholders that the Ministry had not invited them to push the idea on them, but rather to walk them through the entire process so that they might reap the benefits of the initiative.
The Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Hon. Moses Anim, emphasized the relevance of Premix fuel in sustaining fishing in the country, as well as the need for the introduction of automated machinery in an era when technology has taken over most things
The engagement is expected to help build consensus on the viable financing option for the automation project. The Ministry will undertake a survey at coastal and inland fishing communities to assess the challenges associated with the sale of premix fuel and recommended solutions on how to improve the system. The survey report will be communicated to fishers for validation.
By Karimatu Anas (PRO MoFAD)
