Post a comment 
The Government of Sierra Leone has increased the price of petrol from NLe35 to NLe40 per litre and diesel from NLe40 to NLe45, citing rising international petroleum prices. While the global oil crisis is real, that explanation alone is not enough.
The Government says its pricing formula would have produced NLe41.04 for petrol and NLe46.76 for diesel, but it reduced the pump prices to NLe40 and NLe45 by absorbing NLe1.04 and NLe1.76 respectively. The real question is how the formula produced an additional NLe6.04 on petrol and NLe6.76 on diesel.
What exactly caused those increases? Was it the international refined-product price, exchange rate, freight, insurance, taxes, port charges, distribution costs, levies or a combination of these? Sierra Leoneans deserve to see the actual figures.
This is particularly important because NPRA’s pricing page reportedly publishes the new prices while stating that the detailed pricing components have not loaded. If Government wants citizens to accept the new prices, the full calculation should be publicly available.
The argument that Brent crude has reached about $100 per barrel also needs proper context. Sierra Leone buys refined petroleum products, not crude oil directly for sale at the pump. Therefore, the international refined-product price used in the pricing formula matters more than simply pointing to the headline crude price.
There is also a wider concern. Even before this latest increase, Sierra Leone’s fuel prices were higher than those reported in several neighbouring and other African countries.
That does not automatically mean Sierra Leone’s pricing formula is wrong, because countries have different taxes, subsidies, transport costs and market structures. But it does raise a legitimate question: why is fuel already so expensive in Sierra Leone before the latest global shock?
The impact of the increase will not stop at the fuel pump. Higher fuel costs mean higher transportation costs, more expensive food and increased operating costs for businesses, farmers, traders and other workers. Ultimately, ordinary households will bear much of the burden.
The Government may have limited control over international oil prices, but it has choices over taxes, subsidies, margins and other domestic costs. It therefore has a responsibility to consider not only the market price of fuel but also the economic pressure placed on citizens.
If NLe40 petrol and NLe45 diesel are justified by the pricing formula, Government should simply publish the full calculation and allow the public to see the numbers for themselves.
This is not about politics. It is about transparency, accountability and the cost of living. When citizens are asked to pay more, they deserve to know exactly why.
