GTZ on international fuel pricing: Nigeria's discomfiture

Dr Metschies reporting from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH:

In response to the current increases in world market prices for oil, the GTZ started a flash survey (prices of premium grade petrol, 95 octane) in the most heavily populated developing Countries and concluded as follows:

“An international harmonisation of fuel prices seems important. However, this requires a national energy pricing policy in developing countries covering the following points:

• · eliminating fuel subsidies

(in countries with premium grade fuel prices at the pump below € 0.40/l)

• · introducing and raising fuel taxes

(in countries with premium grade fuel prices at the pump from € 0.40-€ 0.80/l)

• · harmonisation with EU fuel prices

(in countries with premium prices at the pump from € 0.80 to €1.20/l)

Because renewable energies can only establish themselves if traditional energy

sources (and specifically fuels) are appropriately taxed.

Note: For more data on international fuel prices collected by the GTZ for 165 countries, see

www.worldbank.org/transport or www.zietlow.com/docs/engdocs.htm .”

MY COMMENT

IF NATIONAL AGENCIES IN COUNTRIES LIKE NIGERIA RESPECT THE THOUGHTS OF EU COUNTRIES WITHOUT CONSIDERING INTERNAL PECULIARITIES, WE ARE IN FOR ANOTHER PHASE OF NEO-COLONIALISM.