The Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Energy Committee, Collins Adomako-Mensah, is calling on the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Ghana Water Limited (GWL) to significantly improve their services following the approval of new utility tariffs set to take effect in January 2026.
Under the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission’s (PURC) revised Multi-Year Tariff Review, electricity tariffs will rise by 9.86%, while water tariffs will increase by 15.92% over the 2026–2030 regulatory period.
Speaking to journalists, the Afigya Kwabre North MP stated that the increments, although inevitable, must translate into improved service delivery for consumers.
“Yesterday, we woke up to hear that they’ve gone ahead to increase electricity by 9.86% and water by 15.92%,” he said.
“This particular increment is to take care of capital expenditure and some aspects of operational expenditure.”
He explained that the electricity adjustment is intended to cover utilities’ capital requirements between 2025 and 2030, meaning ECG is not expected to seek additional tariff hikes for capital spending during that period.
“What this means is that between this period, they are not coming back to us to request another increment in tariff to take care of capital expenditure,” he noted.
However, he cautioned that consumers should still expect further quarterly tariff reviews as mandated by law.
“Ghanaians should brace themselves because this has nothing to do with the quarterly adjustments,” he said.
“Indeed, by March, depending on economic factors, we should expect another increment.”
Mr Adomako-Mensah added that the revised tariffs would support government-backed projects such as mini-grid installations in hard-to-reach areas and other major capital programmes.
He said the minority took consolation in the fact that the increments were significantly lower than what the utility companies initially requested.
“Ordinarily, any Ghanaian will not be excited about an increment in tariffs. But I am comforted that it was not the 200-and-something per cent that the utility agencies were requesting,” he stated.
“We have always advocated that when you request an increase, Ghanaians should see a commensurate level of service.”
He urged ECG, the Volta River Authority (VRA), and Ghana Water Limited to demonstrate improved service delivery in return for the new tariffs.
Mr Adomako-Mensah also highlighted the severe financial pressure Ghana Water faces due to the impact of illegal mining (galamsey) on water sources.
“Ghana Water is under major stress with galamsey. They showed us videos of how bad the menace is and how it is contributing to an increase in their expenditures.”
He added that, while the minority is “not too excited” about the upward adjustments, they hope the combination of major and quarterly reviews will not overly burden Ghanaians.