Benin's Ministry of Industry and Commerce gave petroleum product distributors and petrol station managers a deadline of 48 hours on Wednesday, 14 October, to restore a regular supply. The decision follows long queues, notably in the north of the country, according to the ministry.
Operators must mobilise their logistics resources to fill tanks according to demand. For its part, the government commits to speeding up administrative formalities along the supply chain in order to facilitate tanker truck rotations. The announced deadline aims for a return to normal across the whole territory.
The meeting was led by chief of staff Laurent Akpo, on instructions from Minister Shadiya Alimatou Assouman, in the presence of the director general of the Dépôts pétroliers du Bénin, Sosthène Mesmin Hounsou.
Difficulties accessing fuel are accompanied by strong price tensions in the informal market. In Tanguiéta, in Atacora, a litre of "kpayo", smuggled petrol, was selling for 1,500 FCFA on 14 October, after occasionally reaching 2,000 to 2,500 FCFA since the previous Sunday, compared with a usual level of 800 FCFA, according to information gathered by Banouto from local sources. The outlet also reports a price of about 1,300 FCFA in Toucountouna, compared with 800 FCFA previously.
The ministry also announces increased monitoring of stations. It says it has received reports of night-time filling of jerrycans intended for the black market, and warns that the operators and pump attendants involved are liable to the penalties provided for by law.