The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has justified the recent electricity tariff increment saying the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration under John Dramani Mahama cumulatively increased electricity tariff by 166%.
Speaking at the launch of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) Jobs Centre at the Bank of Ghana Auditorium at the University of Ghana on Wednesday, 2nd October 2019, Dr. Bawumia said “Between 2013 and 2016, just the last four years of the NDC government, the cumulative increase in electricity tariff was 166%”.
“In 2018, we [NPP] reduced electricity prices of businesses by 30% and for households by 17.5 %, an average of around 22%.”
“Earlier this year in July, there was an increase of electricity price of 11% and yesterday of 5.6%. When you take the total cumulative increase on average, as I said, between 2017 and today, you have a cumulative decrease of about 5%.”
“So, the NDC, in their last four years, increased [electricity tariff] by 166%, we have come down since we have been in government by 5% on average.”
The Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission on Monday announced 5.94% on electricity tariffs and 2.22% on water tariffs across board for all customer categories.
A statement announcing the changed said: “Following a review of Electricity and Water Tariffs for the fourth Quarter 2019 which is from October – December 2019, the PURC wishes to announce for the information of consumers of electricity and water that there has been an upward adjustment in the existing tariffs.”