NDC is stealing from Ghanaians over utility tariff adjustment — Miracles Aboagye

Dennis Miracles Aboagye, spokesperson for the 2028 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government of imposing unjustified utility tariff increases on Ghanaians.

The criticism follows the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission's (PURC) announcement of new electricity and water tariff adjustments that will take effect from July 1.

Under the new rates, electricity tariffs will increase by 3.49 per cent across all customer categories, while water tariffs will go up by 0.85 per cent.

PURC explained that the quarterly review considered factors such as inflation, exchange rate movements, electricity generation mix and the cost of natural gas used for power generation.

Reacting to the development in a social media post on Tuesday, June 23, Miracles Aboagye rejected the basis for the adjustment and accused the government of placing an unnecessary burden on consumers.

"The NDC Government is stealing from the People of Ghana," he stated.

The NPP communicator argued that the figures contained in PURC's own assessment do not justify an increase in utility tariffs.

According to him, the latest adjustment amounts to an unfair imposition on Ghanaians at a time when many households and businesses are struggling with the cost of living.

"PURC has no justification to increase utilities by even 1% based on their own data. This will not Stand!!!!" he added.

PURC, however, maintains that the quarterly tariff review mechanism is intended to preserve the real value of tariffs, ensure the financial sustainability of utility providers and support the continuous delivery of services.

The Commission said it applied a weighted average exchange rate of GH¢11.2228 to one US dollar, representing a 0.2 per cent depreciation of the cedi compared to the previous quarter.

It also cited a three-month average inflation rate of 3.43 per cent and changes in natural gas prices as factors influencing the adjustments