Uche Cecil Izuora
Sahara Group has said that clearly explaining the infrastructure, policies, companies and market forces shaping the energy sector will deepen public understanding of current and emerging energy issues.
This was the major highlight from Sahara’s Thought Leadership and Knowledge-Sharing Session for energy reporters in Ghana, themed “Beyond the Barrels: The Energy Story Behind the Story.” The session deepened journalists’ understanding of the petroleum value chain and strengthened their ability to explain complex energy developments clearly to the public.
Speaking at the session, Bethel Obioma, Head, Corporate Communications, Sahara Group, said reporters should apply a simple discipline before publishing: establish what happened, identify the relevant part of the value chain and regulator, verify figures and dates, consult credible sources, simplify technical issues without distorting them, and ultimately answer the question that matters most: what does this mean for consumers, industry and energy security?
“Energy reporting must go beyond announcing production figures, pump-price adjustments, or new infrastructure. The real value lies in helping the public understand what the numbers mean, what drives them and how decisions across the value chain affect supply, affordability, investment, and everyday life.”
The session, which held at the newly commissioned Asharami Ghana LPG Storage Facility in Tema, examined the journey from resource discovery and production through trading, refining, transportation, storage, marketing and retail, showing how decisions at one point in the value chain can eventually surface as changes in price, supply or consumer experience.
Michael Creg Afful, Executive Director, Energy News Africa Ltd., urged journalists to interrogate the story behind energy statistics, stressing that a number becomes meaningful only when supported by a clear date, unit, source, and context.
He challenged journalists to distinguish clearly between operators, partners, service companies and licence holders; understand the roles of upstream, midstream and downstream regulators; build credible expert networks; and verify technical claims before publication.
Dr. Riverson Oppong, Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies, Ghana, urged journalists to look beyond changes at the pump and understand the combination of international and domestic factors that determine what consumers eventually pay.
Oppong identified LPG, CNG and LNG, EV charging, digital platforms, strategic partnerships, and data analytics among the areas reporters should increasingly understand as traditional petroleum businesses adapt to changing energy demand. He noted that affordability cannot be considered in isolation from supply security, market discipline and energy-transition readiness, as these four factors will shape the competitiveness and sustainability of Ghana’s downstream sector.
Obioma urged participating journalists to approach energy stories with curiosity, accuracy, and a willingness to continuously build their sector knowledge.
“Beyond the barrels means giving the public not only what happened, but the context, causes and implications behind it. Our responsibility as communicators and journalists is to make an increasingly complex energy industry understandable without sacrificing accuracy.”