Tariff hikes: We need to depoliticize electricity issues - Adomako-Mensah

Former Deputy Energy Minister and Member of Parliament for Afigya Kwabre North, Collins Adomako-Mensah, has called for a pragmatic and non-partisan approach to utility tariff adjustments in Ghana.

His comments follow the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission’s (PURC) recent announcement of new utility tariffs, set to take effect on May 3, 2025. Under the latest quarterly review, electricity tariffs will rise by an average of 14.75%, while water tariffs will increase by 4.02%.

In an interview on Channel One’s *Newsroom* with Umaru Sanda Amadu, the MP expressed concern over the growing politicisation of decisions around energy pricing.

“I think we have to get to a point where we try as much as possible to take politics out of inevitable situations,” he said. “If we continue to play politics with our electricity situation, we will get to a point where we’re going to crash.”

Adomako-Mensah underscored the importance of open, honest dialogue about the actual cost of electricity generation and the wider impact on national development. He urged political leaders across the divide to avoid using tariff adjustments as a political tool, noting that such actions could undermine long-term solutions in the energy sector.