The Centre for Environmental Management and Sustainable Energy (CEMSE) wants the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to adopt the National Petroleum Authority’s (NPA) transparent pricing framework to improve public confidence in electricity and water tariff reviews.
The appeal follows PURC’s recent decision to increase electricity tariffs by 3.49 percent and water tariffs by 0.85 percent for the third quarter of 2026.
In a statement issued on June 28, CEMSE argued that the tariff adjustments have once again highlighted longstanding concerns over transparency in Ghana’s utility pricing regime.
According to the policy think tank, PURC does not adequately disclose the weighting of critical market and macroeconomic indicators used in determining utility tariffs, including exchange rates, inflation, generation mix, the weighted average cost of gas (WACOG), and other technical variables that influence electricity pricing.
CEMSE contrasted PURC’s approach with the pricing mechanism employed by the National Petroleum Authority, describing the NPA’s framework as a benchmark for transparency and accountability.
“The NPA regularly publishes detailed pricing guidelines, including pricing benchmarks, conversion factors, applicable pricing windows and ex-pump prices, enabling stakeholders to understand and independently verify pricing decisions,” the statement said.
The organisation maintained that adopting a similar disclosure regime would improve regulatory credibility and help address public concerns about the fairness of utility tariff adjustments.
It recommended that PURC publish a comprehensive weighting scheme for all market and macroeconomic indicators used in periodic tariff reviews, including updates on exchange rate movements, inflation, natural gas costs and any changes in technical parameters affecting utility pricing.
According to CEMSE, making such information publicly available would allow consumers, businesses and investors to anticipate tariff movements based on objective economic variables rather than perceived administrative discretion.
The think tank also argued that institutionalising mandatory disclosure practices, instead of relying on occasional communication, would strengthen accountability and enhance trust in the regulatory process.
