The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has declined an invitation from the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to participate in a public hearing on proposed utility tariff adjustments under the 2025–2029 Multi-Year Tariff Review.
In a statement released on Monday, October 6, 2025, and signed by the party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, the NPP described the invitation as unnecessary, stating that there is no justification for any stakeholder engagement on potential tariff increases at a time when Ghanaians are already burdened by a high cost of living.
The PURC, in a letter dated September 9, 2025, had invited the party and other stakeholders to a public hearing to discuss tariff review proposals submitted by regulated utility providers such as the Volta River Authority (VRA), Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), and others.
However, the NPP insists that the recently introduced energy sector levy — widely referred to as the “Dumsor Levy” — already generates enough revenue to support the utility companies without resorting to further tariff increases.
“There is absolutely no need for any such conversation to start with, because the ‘Dumsor Levy’ alone, which was hurriedly passed by the NDC Majority in Parliament under the cover of darkness, rakes in over GH₵575 million every month and over GH₵5.7 billion annually for the government,” the statement read.
The party urged the government to channel part of the levy towards supporting the operations of the utility providers instead of imposing additional financial burdens on the public.
The NPP also dismissed claims by government spokespersons suggesting that the proposed tariff hikes are linked to conditions under the ongoing International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.
“This is palpably false,” the statement noted. “The current IMF programme is scheduled to end next year (2026), but the proposed astronomical increment in tariffs is expected to take effect from 2026 to 2029.”
The party accused the government of incompetence in managing the energy sector and vowed to resist what it described as an attempt to “slap Ghanaians with these imminent astronomical increases in utility tariffs.”
“We find this unacceptable and will use all legitimate means to fight any such attempt,” the NPP concluded.
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