Residents of the Sisaala East Municipality and the neighboring Sisaala West District are grappling with a severe fuel shortage that has left many stranded and frustrated. The shortage, which has affected petrol supply, has worsened over the past two weeks, escalating to an acute stage where little to no fuel is available for daily use. Diesel, however, remains accessible at some stations, mainly benefiting long-distance vehicle operators.
The situation has significantly impacted motorbike and vehicle users, particularly workers who rely on motorcycles as their primary mode of transport.
Some residents have accused fuel vendors of hoarding supplies and selling them to individuals smuggling the product into Burkina Faso.
Nearly 20 fuel stations across the two districts have reportedly run out of petrol.
A teacher, speaking to UpperWestNews,com, shared her frustration, revealing that she had resorted to purchasing petrol from roadside vendors at inflated prices. Ibrahim Doctar Fatawu, an ICT tutor at Tumu Senior High Technical School, lamented the disruption to daily life, emphasizing the toll it has taken on workers reliant on motorbikes.
A resident, speaking anonymously, speculated that the outgoing government might be deliberately orchestrating the crisis to shift blame onto the incoming administration. However, a fuel station supervisor in Tumu refuted such claims, attributing the shortage to a lack of supply at the primary source in Accra. He assured the public that efforts were being made to restock fuel for their customers.
The fuel shortage has left many in the affected districts calling for urgent intervention to address the crisis and restore normalcy.