‎SYPALA: Fuel tanker drivers are critical to fuel quality – Philip Tieku

By: Godbless Asaana‎
The Chief Executive Officer of Star Oil, Philip Tieku has stressed the importance of fuel tanker drivers in ensuring accurate fuel deliveries and reducing losses in Ghana’s downstream petroleum sector.
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‎Speaking at the Students & Young Professionals African Liberty Academy (SYPALA) 2026, on Tuesday August 25, Tieku explained how Star Oil uses technology to automate temperature compensation in fuel deliveries.

The 12th Edition of the Students & Young Professionals African Liberty Academy (SYPALA) which is currently happening from August 24 to 27, 2026, at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).

‎Tieku noted that, “Poorly paid fuel tanker drivers can attempt to cover up their fuel theft by adulterating fuel with off-spec products,” he said.
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‎He also explained that, fuel expands when temperatures rise and contracts when transferred into cooler underground storage tanks, potentially creating shortages if the difference is not properly accounted for.
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‎“Delivered fuel to the truck drivers based on temperature-compensated quantities,” Tieku said, explaining that the quantity supplied at the depot should be calculated as though the fuel were at 20 degrees Celsius.
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‎He noted that when fuel is delivered at a higher temperature contracts after being stored underground, stations may record shortages. He added that siphoning by drivers could make the situation worse.
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‎“If fuel had expanded and you give the driver the expanded fuel at 30 degrees, if they come to the station, dropping it into an underground tank which is much cooler, the fuel contracts, and then there’ll be a shortage,” he explained.
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‎To address the challenge, Star Oil developed a technology platform that automates calculations based on fuel temperature and density.
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‎According to Tieku, the company also rewards drivers who deliver the expected temperature-compensated overage without siphoning the product.
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‎“If the driver should bring the product with the temperature-compensated overage, we will pay the driver 50% of that overage, less the taxes that are due,” he said.
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‎He described the system as a “game-changer,” saying it has encouraged drivers to deliver fuel accurately while helping stations maintain their margins.
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‎Tieku disclosed that Star Oil handles about 4,200 individual deliveries to its 270 stations every month, making manual temperature-compensation calculations impractical.
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‎“4,200 unique deliveries, each of them with temperature compensation calculations, cannot be done manually,” he stressed.
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‎He also revealed that Star Oil pays its tanker drivers more than twice the industry-approved rates.