
The announced increment in utility tariffs will worsen the plight of Ghanaians, deny people access to power, and will deny many people from using power. People can’t access potable water, power in their homes and for domestic uses. The price of cement and all building material will increase.
They called on the government to immediately do something about the increments, as announced by the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC), effective February 1, 2023.
The PURC announced the increment of electricity and water tariffs by 29.96 percent and 8.3 percent respectively, attributing it to the unstable exchange rate, rising inflation, generation mix, and the weighted average cost of natural gas.
Speaking in an interview with the nkyeremu news, the residents said they were unhappy and disappointed in the PURC, saying “Ghanaians are already struggling with the hikes in the prices of goods and services.”
“Or is it because the government increases the base pay by 30 percent that is why the PURC is also pushing the increment without considering the fact that prices of goods remain high”, he stated.
“The average household electricity tariffs were raised from an initial GH¢20 to over GH¢70 and any increment again would make life tougher for the ordinary Ghanaian”, Mr. Agyemang noted.
Madam Hannah Osei, a trader, said, “Life has not been easy at all and any increase in electricity and water bills would greatly worsen our living condition”.
Mad Osei noted many Ghanaians could not afford to pay electricity and water bills and called on the government to intervene.