9% tariff hike modest compared to NPP’s 27% – Energy Ministry replies Minority

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Richmond Rockson

The Spokesperson and Director of Communication at the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, Richmond Rockson, has replied to the minority in parliament following their criticisms against the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission’s (PURC) announcement of a 9% electricity tariff from January 2026.

According to him, the Minority must pursue constructive engagement rather than politicising a decision aimed at sustaining Ghana’s electricity infrastructure.

He highlighted that the new 9% tariff increase must be viewed as modest, especially when compared to the previous administration’s last major increment of 27%.

Richmond Rockson revealed that the Akufo-Addo government left more than GH¢80 billion in debts owed by ECG, US$1.7 billion owed to Independent Power Producers (IPPs).

Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Monday, December 8, he stated, “These were crippling challenges that undermined efficiency and stability in the power sector. The government has since implemented decisive reforms to address them.”

“If you compare the current 9% increase to the last major increment of 27%, it clearly reflects the impact of the reforms championed by the government under Energy Minister Hon. John Jinapor, alongside the rebound of the economy and positive macroeconomic indicators,” he explained.

He added, “The tariff adjustment announced by PURC is essential not only to safeguard utilities but also to support critical investments and maintain long-term stability in the power sector”.

Meanwhile, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has slammed the John Mahama-led government over the latest adjustments to electricity and water tariffs, which take effect on January 1, 2026.

In a statement signed by Secretary General Joshua Ansah of the TUC described the New Year tariff hikes as harsh, insensitive, and worse than ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’.

The TUC noted that the PURC decision is troubling, arguing that with the tariff hikes, the government has robbed the poor Ghanaian worker of the 9% wage increase they had already declared as paltry, which was agreed to implement on January 1, 2026.

Portions of the statement read, “This increment has completely eroded the 9% wage adjustment for 2026. Clearly, the government is demonstrating its insensitivity to the daily struggles of workers and Ghanaians.

In plain language government has robbed the poor Ghanaian worker of the 9% wage increase it had agreed to implement on January 1, 2026. What the Government has done is worse than robbing “Peter to pay Paul.”‘ .

The TUC statement added, “The increases are to take effect from January 1, 2026, the very day the paltry 9% increase in the minimum wage and the base Pay by the government will also take effect. This can only be described as the Government’s New Year’s gift to Ghanaians.”

They further revealed that the TUC will hold a press conference regarding the insensitive price increases.

“On Monday, 8 December 2025, the TUC/Organised Labour will hold a press conference on these insensitive price increases. At the press conference, we will outline measures to address this obnoxious tariff increase,” it added.

The TUC statement comes on the heels of the PURC announcement of a multi-year tariff review process covering 2026 to 2030.

According to the PURC, electricity tariffs will rise by 9.86 per cent across all customer categories, and water tariffs will rise by 15.92 per cent.

The PURC noted that the adjustments were necessary to meet the investment requirements of utility providers and also to ensure industry competitiveness and consumer interests.

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