Residents in Togo’s capital, Lome are welcoming a move by the government to import cleaner fuel into the country.
Togo is one of five African nations;Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, and Ivory Coast, that announced a ban on the importation of fuels with high levels of sulphur from European manufacturers.
This is after it was discovered that EU manufacturers were exploiting the weak regulatory policies in the West African region.
The five countries have also agreed to upgrade the operations of their national refineries – public and privately owned – to improve the quality of their fuel by 2020.
Studies by the World Health Organization have shown that sulphur is responsible for a number of health conditions, including heart disease, lung cancer, and respiratory illnesses such, as asthma or bronchitis.
In September last year, a report criticized five Swiss firms for their involvement in the exportation and sale of “dirty” fuels in Africa, even though their sulphur levels were considered too toxic for European markets.
Outside of West Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Morocco have all increased fuel quality requirements in recent years. But better quality drives up costs, and with many nations facing severe shortages in public finances, they are wary of angering people with higher pump prices.
