"Five west African countries ban 'dirty diesel' from Europe", 6 December 2016 

Five West African countries have announced measures to end the practice of European oil companies and traders exporting “African quality” diesel -highly polluting fuels that could never be sold in Europe. Swiss commodity traders were accused in a report…by…Public Eye of exporting fuels to West Africa with sulphur levels that are sometimes hundreds of times higher than European levels. The report accused oil companies of…allowing traders and companies to exploit weak standards…in a process that…was maximising profits at the expense of African’s health. High-sulphur fuels are major contributors to respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and asthma…Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Ivory Coast agreed to ban imports of high-sulphur diesel fuels as part of an initiative organised by the UN Environment Programme…Companies identified in the report said they comply with the fuel standards imposed by the governments they ship to, and support efforts, including those by the African Refiners Association, to improve fuel standards…