Justin Kodua Frimpong
The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has declined an invitation from the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to participate in a public hearing on proposals for a utility tariff adjustment covering the 2025-2029 period.
In a statement issued yesterday, and signed by the General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, the party explained that it saw “no justification for any engagement on possible utility tariff increment” at a time when Ghanaians are already grappling with a high cost of living.
According to the NPP, the invitation letter from the PURC, dated September 9, 2025, stated that the purpose of the hearing was to “brief stakeholders on proposals received from the regulated utilities (VRA, GRIDCo, ECG, NEDCo, GWL, GNGC, EPC) regarding reviews of their tariffs.”
However, the party maintained that initiating discussions on tariff hikes at this point was unwarranted, arguing that Ghanaians are already “overburdened by rising costs of living occasioned largely by the government’s introduction of new taxes, including the new energy sector levy, popularly known as the ‘Dumsor Levy’.”
The statement claimed that the levy, which was passed by the NDC Majority in Parliament, generates approximately GH¢575 million monthly and over GH¢5.7 billion annually for government coffers.
The NPP suggested that a portion of these funds should instead be used to support the operations of the regulated utility companies.
Rejecting assertions by government spokespersons that the proposed tariff adjustments are tied to International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditionalities, the NPP described such claims as “palpably false.”
It noted that the current IMF programme is expected to conclude in 2026, while the proposed tariff adjustments would extend from 2026 to 2029, making any direct link to IMF conditions implausible.
The opposition party further accused the government of mismanaging state-owned utility companies, stating that Ghanaians were being “unduly levied to pay for government’s incompetence.”
“This, the NPP finds unacceptable, and we will use all legitimate means to fight any such attempt to slap Ghanaians with these imminent astronomical increases in utility tariffs,” the statement concluded.
By Ernest Kofi Adu