Fuel expert questions Zambia’s higher fuel prices

By BARNABAS ZULU FUEL expert Dr Kafula Mubanga has challenged the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) to explain why fuel is more expensive in Zambia than in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), despite Zambia having a shorter distance to the port of Dar es Salaam and an established pipeline.Dr Mubanga said the government should explain why Zambians were paying more for fuel than their Congolese counterparts, who do not have a pipeline and are further away from the port.Speaking in an interview yesterday, Dr Mubanga said the ERB should be realistic in its cost measures and ensure that the benefits of the country’s fuel transportation infrastructure were reflected in pump prices.“We cannot be buying products more expensive in Zambia than the DRC when our distances are quite shorter than theirs. We have infrastructure for the pipeline that should have actually given the impact of transporting products into the country, yet we buy products more expensive,” he said.Dr Mubanga said Zambia was about 1, 900 kilometres from Dar es Salaam, while the DRC was approximately 2, 300 kilometres away.He said the country had invested in pipeline infrastructure which should reduce the cost of transporting fuel, but consumers were still paying more than those in the DRC.“The government should come out and justify why we should buy products more expensive than the DRC, and if so, who is getting the extra cost that is excessively charged on the Zambian people,” he said.Dr Mubanga also called for a return to the quarterly fuel price review system, saying it would help promote stability in the sector.He said the President had publicly expressed interest in revising the fuel pricing model, adding that the Ministry of Energy should respond to the directive.Dr Mubanga also called for the conversion of the pipeline back to crude oil transportation and investment in the Indeni refinery to enable it to process commingled petroleum products.He said the measures would help the country manage fuel pricing, adding that the current system made it difficult to control costs.Dr Mubanga said the government should address the concerns surrounding fuel pricing and explain the cost components contributing to the high prices being paid by Zambian consumers.

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