Guinée Gaz (GNG) wishes to enlighten Guinean public opinion, following the remarks made by the Director General of the Fonds d’Asupport the Pro exercise you GAZ (FAPGAZ) in front of the Court for the Repression of Economic and Financial Offenses (CRIEF) at his hearing on October 28, 2024 where he was summoned to appear by Guinea Gas to answer for a certain number of reprehensible behaviors including the concurrence disloyalty and abuse of authority. Indeed, this senior official made inconsistent comments about Guinea Gaswhich are part of the logic which led to the legal action to allow Guinea Gas to protect their rights.
Guinée Gaz, is a company under Guinean law which has been a signatory to an Establishment Agreement with the Guinean Government since 2019 which grants it a certain number of rights and imposes obligations on it. Among these rights, we can cite access to all segments of the butane gas marketing activity, ranging from importation to distribution including transport, the release for consumption of a fleet of 500,000 bottles of different calibers and storage. Depending on the specifications, these different segments are remunerated by a price structure guaranteed by the State.
The obligations of Guinée Gaz are listed in the agreement: these include the construction of storage capacity, the acquisition of a fleet of vehicles ensuring the transport of the product in complete safety, coverage of the territory of child care centersandfloors and the sale of gas at prices set by the administration. Guinea Gaz which employs more than a hundred full-time people 95% of whom are Guineans,scrupulously respected its commitments in accordance with the establishment agreement and the laws and regulations of the Country by building a storage capacity of 1500 MT. Unique in Guinea, itconstitutes a safety valve for supply of the country.
The company Guinea Gas took charge of the construction of a jetty to surround the gas depot butane in order to ensure its safety. She also invested in a tank park that meets standards and a built 11 centersfûfloors and distribution in all regional capitals you pays ou the Product is available without out of stock to date.
The first butanier unloaded its cargo in 2021, the first price structure put in place following one of the best models in the sub-region brought down gas prices butane has less than the half of that applied before the arrival of Guinée Gaz.
Butane gas, previously considered a luxury product, has become thanks to Guinea Gas a current consumer product for all citizens, thus contributing to reducing the greenhouse effect in the Republic of Guinea.
Unfortunately since 2022, Guinée Gaz has been the subject of a campaign of intimidation and vexation by the FAPGAZ administration, which was initially,in accordance with decree 131 of May 13, 2019, a fund to support gas consumption butane and in charge of recovering a contribution from hydrocarbon distributors to finance the consumption subsidy of gaz butane. He was also responsibleto assist the government In the development of the price structure. It should be noted that the subsidy corresponds to the difference between the cost price of gas purchased internationally by Guinée Gaz using its own funds and the sale price to the final consumer set by the authorities to make the product accessible to the population.
THEestablishment Ppublic with character Aadministrative (EPA)FAPGAB, transformed into a commercial companyanonymous company with public capital, engaged in a campaign against Guinea Gas. This starting by manipulating the price structure in order to create competitors to Guinea Gas through some distrosGas utilities present in Conakry, through the subsidy of the distribution instead of importation despite the contrary position of Guinea Gas. When he realized that this was not benefiting these distributors, for thewhich he had sacrificed the general interest and that of consumers, he published a price structure bringing back the import subsidy more favorable to these. Not having been able to put in place competition that could cause concern Guinea Gas, the FAPGAZ entered the market as an importer and distributor even though it did not have in licenses and even less infrastructure, by publishing a price structure favorable to its trade and its customers and bringing grievances to Guinea Gas.
The FAPGAZinitially regulator of the gas sector and in charge of subsidy paymenton, turned into an importer without an import license ethas become an unfair competitor to Guinea Gas to whom heimposes agents, which no text provides for, at the level of its centers fillers for objective to collect information on sales and customers of Guinea Gas.
It must be emphasized that the function of regulator is incompatible with that of trader Who only contributes 18% of the gas market butane in Guinea on behalf of four gas distributors in Conakry whose part market together does not reach that of one of our filling centers at Conakry !
The combination of functions of regulator, importer, trader and subsidy payer makes of this body judges and part ofyears the gas sector. Late payment of our subsidies (more than 18 months) demonstrate his abuse of power and his desire to dry up our cash flow to force us to abandon our project. However, FAPGAZ gets paid itself, without deadline, the subsidies linked to its imports intended only for 18% of the national market and drags out the payments of our subsidies linked to our imports intendedsthey have 82% of the national butane gas market.
The allegation which aims to show that the FAPGAZ obtains its import licenseation of the National Petroleum Company (SONAP) is unfounded. Importing gasbutane assumes a storage tool and means of distribution which are lacking has FAPGAZ and to his nicknamesdistributors who are often out of stock. Guinea Gas on the other hand ensures the supply of the Country without fail.
FAPGAZ uses as an argument to import that our weighbridge does not work and forgets that it itself does note does not have a weighbridge, in of none infrastructure that it can to contribute pour ses imports! Il now spreads information misleading that our license is withdrawn and that we are acting in fraud. Guinea Gas understands that this behavior tends to put a barrier between her et the administration being a sector which FAPGAZ wants to take over as is the case with the bottle factory which was to begin production in eight months for a capacity of one million bottles while the size of the market cannot absorb more than 50,000 bottles. Guinée Gaz reiterates its commitment to act under the orders of the administration in application of its convention and the laws of the Republic and to continue to work for the development of the butane gas sector in Guinea in order to popularize the use of this produced, ecologically clean, among the populations.
There is no need for Guinea Gas to prove the legality of its imports which arose from its establishment agreement with the Guinean Government, no offense to the Director General of FAPGAZ.
In any casethe matter is in the hands of the justice, in a state of law, the RRepublic of Guinea, and we have no doubt that we will be restored to our rights.
The Guinea Ga companyz
