If you have ever been told your fuel contract is “indexed to the NPA price build-up” and wondered what that actually means, this guide is for you. The price build-up is the transparent, published structure behind Ghana’s deregulated fuel pricing — and understanding it is the difference between trusting an unexplained number and seeing the basis your price moves with.

What the Price Build-Up Is

The price build-up is the structure the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) publishes showing how a fuel price is composed — from ex-refinery, through ex-depot, to ex-pump. It is updated for each pricing window, and it is the published, transparent reference for Ghana’s pump market.

Why It Exists — Deregulation Since 2015

Ghana’s fuel market was deregulated in June 2015. The state no longer fixes a single bulk price; instead, suppliers price within a published framework. Since 2024, the NPA also publishes a price floor (a minimum), not a fixed price. The build-up is what makes that deregulated market transparent rather than opaque.

Twice-Monthly Windows

The build-up is updated on a twice-monthly cycle — two pricing windows per month (roughly the 1st–15th and the 16th to month-end). That is why your fuel price moves every two weeks: the underlying build-up moves with it.

What Sits Inside the Build-Up

The build-up is composed of several published layers. The exact figures change each window, but the structure is stable:

| Component type | What it covers | |---|---| | Ex-refinery / ex-depot base | The underlying product cost reference | | Taxes and levies | Statutory levies under ESLA (Act 899, 2015) — for example the Road Fund Levy, Energy Fund Levy, Special Petroleum Tax, Sanitation & Pollution Levy, and the Energy Sector debt-recovery and price-stabilisation levies | | Margins | Regulated margins — for example the BOST margin, Primary Distribution Margin, Unified Petroleum Price Fund (UPPF), Fuel Marking Margin, Marketers’ and Dealers’ margins |

The point is not to memorise every line — it is to understand that a fuel price is a built-up structure of published components, not a single arbitrary number.

Why It Matters to Your Contract Quote

Pump Price ≠ Your Contract

The build-up sets the pump market. Your contract is not sold at the pump figure. But a transparent contract quote is indexed to the build-up, so you can see the basis your price moves with rather than trusting an unexplained number.

Indexing Is Honesty

Because the build-up moves every two weeks, no honest fixed bulk per-litre rate exists. A supplier who indexes your quote to the published build-up is being transparent; a supplier who names a flat rate before understanding your account, and never references the build-up, is not.

What Else Shapes Your Price

On top of the indexed base, your contract reflects your account: volume, sites, schedule, product specification and continuity standard. The build-up is the transparent reference; those factors are what make the quote yours.

How the Build-Up Connects to Your Quote

The NPA publishes the build-up — twice-monthly, for the pump market.
Your quote is indexed to it — so the basis is transparent, not invented.
Account factors are added — volume, sites, schedule, spec, continuity.
You get a number you can see the basis of — not a headline rate.

Regulated and to Standard

The price build-up is published by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) under the NPA Act, 2005 (Act 691) — the downstream regulator, not the Energy Commission or the Petroleum Commission.
The statutory levies in the build-up sit under ESLA (Act 899, 2015).
Product is supplied to the ECOWAS low-sulphur (50 ppm) standard and Ghana Standards Authority specifications (GS 140 / GS 141).
Note: current pump and floor prices change every window and are time-sensitive — always check the live NPA figures rather than treating any single number as fixed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NPA price build-up?

It is the published structure the National Petroleum Authority uses to show how a fuel price is composed — ex-refinery through ex-depot to ex-pump — updated for each twice-monthly pricing window. It is the transparent reference for Ghana’s pump market.

Does the build-up set my contract price?

No. The build-up sets the pump market; contract supply is quote-only. But a transparent contract quote is indexed to the build-up, so the basis of your price is visible rather than invented.

Why does my fuel price change every two weeks?

Because the build-up is updated on a twice-monthly cycle. The underlying components move, so the price moves with them — which is also why no honest fixed bulk rate exists.

Is the build-up the same as the pump price?

The build-up is the structure; the pump price is the result of that structure for a given window. Your contract is indexed to the build-up but priced for your account, not at the pump figure.

Petroleum Supply Cost Guide — how contract supply is priced, honestly
Institutional Fuel Supply Contracts — the contract this pricing applies to
Standby Fuel Supply — continuity for banks, data centres, hospitals
Fuel Supply on the Lomé Corridor — cross-border into Togo and the region

Request a supply contract — or open an account: +233 20 531 3333