Ghana's state fuel distributor BOST has cut diesel and petrol exports to Burkina Faso and Mali since August to protect local supply, its MD says.

BOST Energies Managing Director Afetsi Awoonor confirmed the export cuts on the sidelines of an energy conference in Bangkok on Wednesday, citing surging domestic diesel demand and tightening global supplies.

The squeeze comes as conflicts tightened oil and gas supplies globally, driving fuel prices to record highs in some countries ahead of peak harvest and winter demand. Landlocked Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, all ruled by military governments fighting Islamist insurgencies, depend heavily on coastal neighbours like Ghana and Ivory Coast for fuel imports.

The shortfall has hit hard: BOST could supply only half of the 80,000 metric tons of fuel Burkina Faso requested across July and August. Mali fared similarly, receiving just 10,000 tons against requests for an extra 40,000 tons for August and September.

Awoonor said rising domestic consumption, not a deliberate policy shift, is driving the cuts. "Supply is available, but it's at a high cost," he said, noting that sharp demand increases have strained supplies and complicated efforts to keep Ghanaian fuel prices stable.

He added that diesel makes up two-thirds of BOST's total fuel supplies, and that consumption keeps climbing as Ghana's economy expands. BOST controls roughly 30% of Ghana's domestic fuel market.

Ghana's own pump prices spiked earlier this year on global supply worries, though they have since eased on the back of a stronger cedi and government intervention.

Looking beyond the current crunch, Awoonor outlined expansion plans for BOST's cooking gas business: a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) terminal in Tema by the fourth quarter of next year, plus a storage facility in Kumasi. The company intends to build LPG terminals at six locations nationwide in phases, alongside plans to begin importing cooking gas.