Towards Low Sulphur Fuels - ECOWAS & ARA Roadmap

This document outlines a regional plan to cut sulfur in gasoline and diesel across ECOWAS by adopting AFRI-4 standards by 2020 and AFRI-5 by 2030, with imports meeting AFRI-4 from 2017 and local refineries given until 2020 to comply. It situates the roadmap within rising clean-product demand, aging vehicle fleets dominated by second-hand cars, and current fuel sulfur levels above targets. Health evidence cited includes WHO estimates of urban air pollution mortality and a World Bank/ARA finding that $4.96 billion in refinery upgrades could avoid over $32 billion in health costs over ten years. The plan proposes harmonized fuel specifications and vehicle-emission limits, plus aligned taxes, biofuels handling best practice, and distribution infrastructure policies, delivered through a five-month study with staged reports and validation.