Kofi Ahovi

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) are at odds over the Ghana Water Company Limited's (GWCL) admission that a 24/7 water supply remains unattainable, even with the new tariff structure. The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has made it clear that while it will strive to maintain water flow across the country, Ghanaians should not expect a continuous supply of water under the newly approved 15.92% tariff. This increase, sanctioned by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), is deemed insufficient to support the necessary investments for uninterrupted water service. In a recent appearance on PM Express, GWCL's Communications Manager, Stanley Martey, expressed concerns about the sustainability of operations with the current tariff. He stated, “The new tariff is far too little to sustain the level of investment required to guarantee uninterrupted water.” Martey pointed out that even the PURC acknowledges the inadequacy of this increment, wh...

  The Importers & Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG) has expressed its heartfelt commendation to the Government of Ghana, particularly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for successfully negotiating the removal of the punitive 15% export tariffs imposed by the United States on Ghanaian cocoa and other qualifying agricultural products. This decisive diplomatic achievement, effective as of November 13, 2025, marks a significant milestone for Ghana's trade community and export-driven growth. The removal of tariffs is expected to restore duty-free or reduced-barrier access to markets for key Ghanaian products such as cocoa, avocado, cashew nuts, mango, and plantain, thereby safeguarding Ghanaian exporters' competitiveness and preserving vital foreign exchange inflows. This development vindicates long-held concerns within the business community," said Samson Asaki Awingobit, Executive Secretary of IEAG. "The tariff impositions were already undermining Ghana's expo...

 The Integrated Social Development Center (ISODEC) and the Africa Water Justice Network (AWJN) have expressed deep concern over the Ghana Water Company Limited’s (GWCL) proposal to increase water tariffs by 280%. The organizations attribute the proposed hike to the rising cost of water treatment due to the impact of illegal mining (galamsey) and other sources of pollution. Galamsey must be treated as a national security emergency requiring decisive government intervention. Citizens cannot be made to pay for the state’s failure to curb an existential threat to our rivers and ecosystems." The organizations highlighted several key concerns, including GWCL’s non-revenue water, which has increased from 39.1% in 2020 to 49.9% in 2024, far above international benchmarks. The Teshie Desalination Plant contract is also draining GWCL’s finances, with the company paying $1.4 million monthly capacity charge and GHS 3 million in electricity bills. GWCL’s comparison of its tariffs with sachet w...

 Former Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has cautioned policymakers against using tariffs as a remedy for trade imbalances, arguing that such deficits are fundamentally macroeconomic in nature and cannot be resolved through trade policy alone. Speaking at the International Democracy Union (IDU) Forum in Brussels, Dr. Bawumia criticised what he described as a growing disregard for economic history and foundational principles. One of the things policymakers are failing to do is to learn from both history and economics,” he said. Drawing on global trade data to highlight the magnitude of trade imbalances, Dr. Bawumia observed that Africa accounts for just 2.5% of global exports, while representing 2.9% of global imports. In contrast, he pointed out, Asia contributes 43% of global exports and 38% of imports; Europe, 38% and 51% respectively; and the United States exports 8% and imports 14%. These are clear trade imbalances,” he stated, “but what we know from economics is ...

 The Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has clarified that the recent utility tariff increases announced by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) are part of Ghana’s ongoing obligations under its programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This follows PURC’s announcement of a 14.75% increase in electricity tariffs and a 4.02% rise in water charges, effective May 3, 2025. Dr. Ato Forson explained that the adjustments were necessary to unlock the next tranche of $370 million from the IMF. Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, April 15, the Finance Minister stated: “We have begun the implementation, which you recently saw—the quarterly adjustment by PURC, which was supposed to have been done by last year. But we have ensured that it has been done in line with the statutory benchmark as agreed in the third review.” He also addressed speculation about a possible renegotiation of Ghana’s deal with the IMF, insisting that the government has ...

  Former Deputy Energy Minister and Member of Parliament for Afigya Kwabre North, Collins Adomako-Mensah, has criticised the government following the recent announcement of increased electricity and water tariffs. His reaction comes in the wake of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission’s (PURC) announcement of a tariff hike, set to take effect on May 3, 2025. The adjustment, part of PURC’s quarterly review process, is aimed at ensuring revenue stability for utility providers while seeking to minimise the financial burden on consumers. Under the new rates, electricity tariffs will go up by an average of 14.75%, while water tariffs will rise by 4.02%. Speaking on  Channel One Newsroom with Umaru Sanda Amadu, Adomako-Mensah expressed disappointment and surprise over the development, pointing to promises made by the ruling government during the 2024 election campaign. I’m a little bit surprised about the announcement because of the rhetoric prior to the 2024 election,” he sai...

  The Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority (GPHA) has justified its decision to increase port duties, arguing that its port tariffs remain competitive compared to Ghana’s neighbours. GPHA attributed the revision of port tariffs to global economic challenges, inflation, and currency depreciation. In a statement, Ghana Union of Traders’ Association President Dr. Joseph Obeng called on GPHA to suspend the implementation of its new tariff as it will have a toll on crippling businesses. Responding to GUTA, GPHA in a statement dated August 3, explained that, it was “compelled to implement the revised tariff due to the current global economic challenges including Inflation and currency depreciation which have increased our operational cost.” Just like all other increments done in the past, the rates of increment in this year’s tariff adjustment were informed by the outcome of a comparative port tariffs studies we conducted in our neighbouring Ports of Lomé and Abidjan, to ensure that at ever...

  The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has announced tariff increases effective September 1, 2022. Tariffs for electricity and water are expected to go up by 27.15% and 21.55% respectively.  This was contained in a press release issued by the Commission today and sighted by MyJoyOnline.com. The PURC in the said release acknowledged the economic difficulties faced by consumers but said without these tariff increases, the utility providers may not meet their mandate.  In balancing interests of the service providers and consumers, the PURC acknowledged that the very economic variables that have occasioned the steep increases proposed by the service providers also affect the consumers.  The Commission, however, admitted that some level of increases in utility tariffs were inevitable if the nation was to avoid another power crisis and its attendant effects including job losses.  PURC, therefore, decided to increase the average end-user tariff for electri...

The Executive Director of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Dr. Ishmael Ackah has hinted at a tariff increment soon. He however did not provide the effective date for the adjustment. Dr. Ackah also declined to mention the percentage increment. He nonetheless, indicated that the tariff adjustment will be “business-friendly, especially for Small Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs).” Dr. Ackah disclosed this at an interaction with media personnel in Accra on Friday, August 12, 2022. He noted that PURC acknowledges the economic challenges utility consumers face. However, this must be juxtaposed with the need for the providers to stay in business. The PURC boss also stated that in coming up with the new tariff, benchmark losses incurred by the utilities, such as technical losses and illegal connection are taken into consideration. He assured that very transparent processes have been used to arrive at the yet to be announced tariffs. He used the occasion to announce that the Com...