Ouagadougou: The National Coordination for the Fight against Fraud (CNLF) has raised concerns over the delivery of state-subsidized hydrocarbons to private companies over households between 2020 and 2024. The organization revealed that more than 33 million liters of subsidized hydrocarbons, equating to a value exceeding 7 billion CFA francs, were inappropriately allocated to companies.

According to Burkina Information Agency, Dr. Yves Kafando, the coordinator of CNLF, stated that their teams discovered that 33,974,204 liters of hydrocarbons, valuable at 7,710,894,851 FCFA, were improperly supplied to companies not eligible for such benefits. He highlighted that some marketers were diverting SONABHY fuel, which is subsidized by the government and meant for public consumption at service stations.

Dr. Kafando further clarified that SONABHY categorizes its products into subsidized, intended for households, and non-subsidized, designated for industrial use. However, marketers, who monopolize product removal, were accused of obtaining subsidized fuel to sell to industries for profit. Once beyond SONABHY’s premises, the fuel was reportedly redistributed to industrial entities, including quarry operators, construction firms, and mining companies.

The investigation targeted a sample of 13 companies, all of which were found to be in breach of existing legislation. Dr. Kafando emphasized that such activities create a systemic issue, depriving the state of foreign currency and undermining its efforts to promote economic growth through fuel subsidies intended for the wider population.

In response, Dr. Kafando assured that drastic measures are being implemented to prevent marketers from engaging in these detrimental practices, which he described as harmful to the national economy.