The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) of Ghana has announced a significant adjustment to utility tariffs, with electricity increasing by 14.75% and water by 4.02%, effective May 3, 2025. The decision, approved on April 11, 2025, reflects economic challenges and the need to ensure the sustainability of utility services.
In a statement signed by Dr. Shafic Suleman, Executive Secretary of PURC, the increments were attributed to multiple factors, including fluctuations in the exchange rate, rising domestic inflation, and the increasing costs of natural gas and electricity generation. These factors, coupled with Ghana’s energy mix, have created financial pressures on utility providers.
The statement emphasized that the adjustments could have been steeper if PURC had opted to recover all outstanding revenues from previous quarters at once. It disclosed that the commission is addressing a significant revenue gap of GHS976 million from 2024, stemming from unpaid bills. To ease the impact on consumers, PURC will recover only 50% of this amount in the current adjustment, with the remainder to be distributed across subsequent quarters of 2025.
This phased approach, according to PURC, aims to strike a balance between maintaining financial stability for utility providers and minimizing the economic burden on households and businesses.
The commission assured the public that comprehensive details of the new tariffs would be published in the government gazette and made accessible on its official website. It also encouraged citizens to engage with the updates to understand the implications for their utility bills.
This latest adjustment underscores the ongoing challenges in Ghana’s utility sector, as authorities navigate complex economic dynamics while striving to maintain reliable services.
Story by: Mercy Addai Turkson #ahotoronline.com
