GHC1.2 Billion Emergency Fuel Budget Lacks Transparency — Energy Expert Challenges Government

The Executive Director of the Centre for Environmental and Sustainable Energy, Benjamin Nsiah, has raised strong concerns over the government’s proposed GHC1.2 billion expenditure on emergency fuel, questioning its transparency and credibility.

His comments come in response to a statement by the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, who said on the Citi Breakfast Show on June 4, 2025, that the government would require the amount to procure emergency liquid fuel to stabilise the national power supply.

Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, June 7, Mr. Nsiah disputed the government’s justification, describing the figure as inconsistent with existing data from key energy sector institutions like GRIDCo and the Energy Commission.

“They should come clear on how they arrived at the GHC1.2 billion,” Nsiah stated. “We know emergency fuels are expensive and only needed in small quantities when there’s disruption from gas suppliers, but this figure does not add up.”

He noted that GRIDCo initially estimated emergency fuel needs at $90 million, later revising it to $180 million—far below the government’s proposed budget. Additionally, the Energy Commission’s projections peg the cost at around $33 million.

“Emergency fuel isn’t even factored into long-term energy planning because of its unreliability and high cost,” Nsiah explained. “So how did we suddenly arrive at GHC1.2 billion?”

Nsiah went further to suggest possible inflation of procurement costs, raising red flags about overpricing and corruption risks.

“We shouldn’t be buying light crude oil at $100 per barrel or diesel at $1,600 per metric tonne—these inflated estimates don’t reflect actual market prices,” he warned.

According to Nsiah, if the GHC1.2 billion estimate indeed applies only to liquid fuel, then Ghana could end up spending GHC2.4 billion on fuel for the year, a figure he described as “unsustainable”.

His remarks add to growing public scrutiny over government energy sector expenditures, especially following the recent introduction of the GHC1 fuel levy, which has also faced criticism from consumer groups and civil society.