A policy group has urged the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to slash electricity tariffs by about 11% in the first quarter of 2026, claiming consumers were overcharged nearly Gh¢1.5 billion in late 2025.
The Centre for Environmental Management and Sustainable Energy made the call in a February 22, 2026, statement. It criticized PURC’s 1.14% tariff hike for Q4 2025, which relied on overly pessimistic economic forecasts.
PURC had projected an exchange rate of Gh¢11.97 (later revised to Gh¢12.37) to the dollar, but the actual average was a favorable Gh¢10.87. Inflation was forecast at 12.43%, yet it averaged just 6.6%.
Given electricity generation’s heavy reliance on dollar-denominated costs, analysts calculate this mismatch led to the Gh¢1.5 billion overpayment.
Even after several 2025 tariff hikes, Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) revenues stayed erratic, fluctuating month to month.
Now, with the exchange rate at Gh¢10.99 and Q1 2026 inflation projected at 3.4%, advocates say PURC must recalibrate tariffs downward by 11% to account for the over-recovery and true costs.
The push highlights ongoing questions about whether Ghana’s quarterly tariff reviews fairly track economic realities.
Story by: Mercy Addai Turkson# ahotorfmonline.com