Fuel shortage imminent due to Foreign Exchange credit crunch unless government intervenes

 

Banks are reporting a shortage of FX to meet payments of maturing Letters of Credit (LCs) issued to international oil trading companies such as BP Vitol,  Trafigura etc etc

This is due to Bank of Ghana’s inability to meet requirements at the various FX auctions.

Some Banks have even stopped quoting FX rates as there is simply no availability for the quantities required by the fuel importers (BDCs).

This is causing BDC‘s to max out their credit-line limits with their banks, and the implication is that the banks will no longer have credit lines available for the BDC’s to import fuel going forward.

Banks also are running the risk of maxing out their credit-lines with their corresponding foreign banks that confirm (or guarantee) the local banks’  trade instruments such as Documentary LCs and Standby LCs (aka Guarantees).

This could prove very disastrous for the country as essential imports could come to a grinding halt. 

Government needs to act decisively and quickly before International Banks’ Credit and Country Risk teams start reviewing their limits to Ghana downwards , if they have not already done so (since S&Ps recent downgrade - the last of the three major rating agencies to do so) ; 

Such actions by the Correspondiing International Banks WILL cause a FX credit crunch resulting in an even faster depreciating Cedi !!

GoG MUST accelerate their discussions with IMF to allow a BRIDGE-PROGRAM to be put in place before the main Take-Out Program kicks in sometime  in Q1 2023 as reported. 

Alexander K Mould (AKM)