The Energy Sector fee (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which imposes a GH¢1 fee on petroleum products, has been approved by Parliament.
The contentious bill was approved late today, Tuesday, June 3, 2025, with the goal of generating more money to pay off the country’s chronic energy sector debt and guarantee a steady supply of electricity.
The overall debt of the energy sector as of March 2025 is US$3.1 billion, according to Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, who laid the measure under a certificate of urgency.
He added that in order to pay off this debt in full, at least US$3.7 billion will be needed, and an extra US$1.2 billion will be needed to buy the fuel that thermal power plants need to run throughout 2025.
Customers will not immediately see a price increase as the Minister promised Parliament that the effects of the new charge on ex-pump prices would be “absorbed by the gains made from the strong performance of the Ghana Cedi.”
The Minority Caucus, on the other hand, strongly opposed the law, calling it an unwarranted burden on Ghanaians.
They contended that the Majority side lacked the necessary numbers to make a legally binding judgment on the measure, and their resistance resulted in a walkout during the approval process.
Before the vote, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga had fervently argued for the levy, arguing that it was an essential communal sacrifice to put an end to the ongoing “dumsor” power crisis.
He made a conscious effort to differentiate the new charge from the government’s recently scrapped and highly unpopular E-levy.
Ayariga asked Ghanaians to ensure a steady power future by contributing “one cedi, just one cedi” each liter of fuel.
To alleviate the financial difficulties facing the energy sector, it is anticipated that the approval of this measure will result in an extra GH¢5.7 billion in revenue each year.
SP
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