Resist 11% electricity hike – Minority to Ghanaians

The Minority in Parliament has stated that the 11.17 per cent tariff increase in electricity tariff effective 1 July 2019, must be opposed by Ghanaians.

A statement issued by the PURC on Friday, 21 June 2019 signed by the Executive Secretary, Mrs Mami Dufie Ofori, said, in taking the decision for an upward review of the charges “the Commission has received and considered tariff proposals from stakeholders including the Volta River Authority (VRA), Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo), Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Power Distribution Service Ghana Limited (PDS), Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) and Enclave Power Company Limited".

The release added that: “This 2019/2020 major tariff review decision is the outcome of prudent cost review and effective monitoring undertaken by the Commission”.

However, former deputy Minister of Power, John Jinapor, insisted in an interview with Class FM on Friday that: “the Minority and well-meaning Ghanaians must resist this increment because this increment is not reflective of the variable conditions persisting on the ground”.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Yapei Kusawgu Constituency stated that in the 2019 budget presented to parliament “we’ve given approval that the gas that will be consumed by the utilities, Ghanaians should pay for that, more than a $100m and then you turn around again and say that we should pay more tariffs. I think that that is not justified and so clearly, there is an attempt to hoodwink Ghanaians and we shall resist this”.

Expressing his disapproval about the latest development, he said: “the people of Ghana cannot go through this suffering” because the increment will place an unnecessary burden on citizens.

He further explained that: “Even with the residential consumers there are bands; when the PURC is announcing tariff increment, what they do is through a gazette. The Gazette will tell us the various customer bands and the increment. This sweeping categorised and wholesale blanket statement will not wash”.