The Chairman of the Energy and Mines Committee in parliament, Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, has called well-meaning Ghanaians to ignore “deliberate misinformation from the minority” on the newly passed Energy Sector levy, assuring “everyone that Ghanaians will not feel this levy at all”.
According to him, the GHC 1 levy on every litre of refined petroleum product purchased will give government about GHC 5.7 billion annually and since the projected revenue will not be enough to purchase the needed liquid fuels, the Government of Ghana through the Finance Ministry will continue to provide the needed funding to cater for the deficit.
Responding to the joint presser made by the Minority side of both the Energy Committee and the Committee of Economic and Development, suggesting that the government has misled or lied to Ghanaians with the introduction of the Energy Sector Amendment Bill, 2025, Mr. Bedzrah has refuted all the claims by the NPP Minority and said, “There is a difference between leadership and populism. While they choose to criticize now without offering any lasting solutions throughout their eight (8) years in power, they must be told that we are focused on fixing the real issues.”
Addressing what he called “the Minority’s falsehoods”, NDC said, “all members from the minority side in the Finance Committee and all the leaders from the Energy Committee were present in the committee meeting when we discussed this Amendment Bill” and that We all went through the Bill, no one walked out, they were all there and I can mention their names.
Hon George Kwame Aboagye was present, Hon. Collins Adomako Mensah was also there together with all the minority MPs on the finance Committee including Hon. Adam Mohammed Amin, the former Minister for Finance”.
Below is the full statement:
CLARITY ON THE ENERGY SECTOR (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2025
PRESS CONFERENCE BY
HON. EMMANUEL KWASI
BEDZRAH, CHAIRMAN, ENERGY COMMITTEE, JUNE 10, 2025
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the press, thank you for being here today.
We have taken note of the joint presser made by the minority side of both the Energy Committee and the Committee of Economic and Development, suggesting that the government has misled or lied to Ghanaians with the introduction of the Energy Sector Amendment Bill, 2025.
I want to clearly state that, this claim is false, it’s misleading and it is a deliberate attempt to politicize a responsible policy decision aimed at securing the long-term sustainability of our power sector.
Now, let me tell you why this Bill is very necessary.
The primary purpose of the Bill is to raise additional revenue to support the power sector, which is under severe financial strain from the mismanagement of the sector by the previous government.
As of December 2024,
- The energy sector debt related to power generation stood at USD 3.1 billion.
- Out of this, over USD 1.7 billion is owed to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and
- We are currently running a monthly deficit of GHC 2 billion in the power sector.
This is the reality, not fiction. These figures are not government estimates, they are verifiable and have been validated by independent bodies.
Our power generation mix is dominated by thermal plants, which are powered by liquid fuel.
Every year, we spend over USD 1.2 billion with cedi equivalent, GHC 12.6 billion on liquid fuels to run our thermal plants and to keep the lights on.
Here is the issue, the current electricity tariff does not account for the cost of these fuels. According to the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), including it in the tariff structure would require increasing electricity bills by over 50%. That is a burden no Ghanaian household should bear, and we refuse to let that happen.
President Mahama has made it clear that he does not want to increase electricity tariff and we need to cushion Ghanaians by doing things in the best interest of all citizens.
The government has therefore proposed a modest GHC 1 levy on every litre of refined petroleum product purchased.
This will give us about GHC 5.7 billion annually and since the projected revenue will not be enough to purchase the needed liquid fuels, the Government of Ghana through the Finance Ministry will continue to provide the needed funding to cater for the deficit.
The objective is to ensure the continuous provision of reliable power supply for Ghanaians.
It is however important to note that,
- This will not increase the current fuel prices at the pump
- Fuel prices have already dropped significantly from over GHC 16 per litre in January 2025 to an average of GHC 12 per litre due to prudent economic management.
- Even with the GHC 1 levy, fuel remains significantly cheaper than it was earlier this year.
- Let me reiterate that, there will not be any increment in prices of fuel as the current market price still remains significantly lower than what Ghanaians were paying at the start of the year.
This is not a deception, but a strategic and responsible way to raise funds without burdening the Ghanaian consumer with high electricity tariffs or erratic power supply.
ADDRESSING THE MINORITY’s FALSEHOODS
All members from the minority side in the Finance Committee and all the leaders from the energy committee were present in the committee meeting when we discussed this Amendment Bill.
We all went through the Bill, no one walked out, they were all there and I can mention their names.
Hon George Kwame Aboagye was present, Hon. Collins Adomako Mensah was also there together with all the minority MPs on the finance Committee including Hon. Adam Mohammed Amin, the former Minister for Finance.
And at the end, a majority decision was taken. How then can you organize the press to say you were not informed nor consulted?
This deliberate misinformation from the minority is what is causing some few groups to agitate but I want to assure everyone that, Ghanaians will not feel this levy at all.
There is a difference between leadership and populism. Whiles they choose to criticize now without offering any lasting solutions throughout their eight (8) years in power, they must be told that we are focused on fixing the real issues.
- We have not lied.
- We have not hidden the truth.
- We are transparent about the challenges and we are bold in implementing solutions that protect both the consumer and the future of our power sector.
Ghanaians deserve better than misleading soundbites from the minority. What they need and what this government is committed to is stable electricity across the nation, sound economic decisions and long-term energy security.
Let us not play politics with the power that lights our homes, powers our hospitals and drives our industries.
We are grateful for your time.
Thank you.
