Former Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Samuel Dubik Mahama, has criticised the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission’s (PURC) proposed utility tariff increases, arguing that the hikes will not address the operational challenges facing the power distributor.
His comments come after the PURC announced an upward review of electricity and water tariffs on Monday, June 22, with the new rates set to take effect from July 1, 2026.
Under the Commission’s third-quarter tariff adjustment, electricity tariffs have been increased by 3.49 per cent across the board, while water tariffs have been raised by 0.85 per cent.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Saturday, June 27, Mr. Dubik Mahama said the tariff increases would only place an additional burden on consumers without addressing the root causes of ECG’s challenges.
“What does inflation have to do with the operations of ECG? We keep going round and round on this issue. The solution to this tariff problem is in operations. Tariff increment is not a solution at this point. If we are to tie things properly, do you think we still need to have these tariff increments that are going to burden the customer? The answer will be no,” he said.
According to the former ECG boss, the company should prioritise operational reforms, including addressing metering and software challenges, instead of relying on tariff adjustments.
“There are certain operational steps that have to be put in place for us to appreciate the tariff increment; other than that, the tariff increment is a theoretical exercise. There’s a metering problem, a software problem, which was solved,” he added.
