Bold Solutions To Premix Fuel: Solar-Powered Outboard Motors For Fishermen

The challenge of how to get a constant supply of premix fuel to power the outboard motors of the fishing industry in Ghana has found a bold solution birthed by Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, who has introduced the use of solar-powered outboard motors to replace the premix fuel powered ones.

“We all know that one of the main challenges fisher-folk  and fishing industry face in their line of duty is pre-mix fuel to power their outboard motors.  My team and I have thought of this challenge and we are coming out with a new arrangement. We have decided to bring in new outboard motors that do not need premix fuel.

“These new outboard motors would be operated with solar energy because they are Solar powered outboard motors.”, Dr. Bawumia, flag-bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced to a frenzy crowd when he visited the Effutu Constituency on Monday, September 23 as a part of his Central Region campaign tour.

Dr. Bawumia continued: “I am assuring you that by the end of October entering the beginning of November, these new solar powered outboard motors would be ready  and be demonstrated to you  so you know how they work. We would also come up with a facility  for the fisher folk to get these new solar powered outboard motors and pay in installments.”

The NPP flag-bearer noted further: “I want our fishermen to move away from a dependence on premix fuel to power the boat, let us go for solar power… we would make the outboard motors available to the fishermen and then they do not need to buy pre-mix any more. Once the sun is shining their batteries will be charging and they can go fishing across our water bodies.”

The Vice President touched on the landing beaches project the NPP Government has embarked on across the country’s fishing communities and reaffirmed the commitment the NPP to alleviate the challenges faced by the fishing industry.

For several decades, the supply and allocation of premix fuel has been problematic. While there are reports of diversion in the supply chain, Government continues to provide heavy subsidies to make the product affordable to the fisher folk.

In many instances, there is a major shortage of premix fuel and in such times the fisher folks are unable to earn incomes because their fishing boats remain unpowered.

The Africa Center for Energy Policy (ACEP) reports that “that between 2000 and 2018, national premix fuel supply has increased form 42 million litres to about 73 million litres with an average annual growth rate of approximately 4 percent. However, there have been periods where supply goes so high.

“For example, in 2017, supply was 91.7 million litres due to extensive smuggling of the product and dropped to 73 million litres in 2018 when such incidence of smuggling became subject of public discussion and stringent monitoring was enforced. As at the third quarter of 2019, premix fuel supply was about 51 million litres, which is estimated to rise up to about 76 million litres by the end of 2019.

“This problem has persisted in spite of the elaborate institutional structures and policy interventions governing the distribution and utilisation of the fuel.