The opposition New Patriotic Party has described the government’s two-cedi diesel relief as a temporary measure, arguing that it should not be presented as an act of generosity
The report indicates that the opposition New Patriotic Party has described the government’s two-cedi diesel relief as a temporary measure, arguing that it should not be presented as an act of generosity.
It further notes that ranking Member of Parliament’s Energy Committee, George Kwame Aboagye, stated the intervention does not return households and businesses to the fuel price levels they experienced in January 2025, arguing that consumers have already paid higher costs through petroleum-related levies.
Addressing the media on Wednesday, August 5, Mr Aboagye stated the relief only offsets a fraction of increases experienced over the past 18 months.
“A two-cedi reduction is not generosity. It is a partial, temporary return of money already taken from consumers at midnight,” he said.
According to him, even if the full two-cedi reduction is passed on to consumers, diesel prices would remain above January 2025 levels.
He explained that on 3 August 2026, GOIL Ghana Limited sold petrol at GH₵15.99 per litre and diesel at GH₵19.26 per litre. He compares this with January 2025 prices of approximately GH₵15.13 per litre for petrol and GH₵15.49 per litre for diesel.
Mr Aboagye also noted that the cedi had strengthened during the period, moving from about GH₵14.70 to the US dollar to approximately GH₵11.67 to the dollar.
“Petrol today is about 5.7 percent higher than in January 2025 and diesel is about 24.3 per cent higher. Even if the full two-cedi reduction is passed through to the public, diesel will still stand about 11.4 per cent above its January 2025 level,” he said.
The Ranking Member argued that the current intervention must not be assessed separately from previous government measures that increased costs for petroleum consumers.
He cited the Energy Sector Levies Amendment Bill, 2025, which Parliament passed on 3 June 2025 under a certificate of urgency, introducing an additional GH₵1 levy on every litre of petroleum products.
Mr Aboagye stated the minority opposed the move and walked out of Parliament during the process.
He recalled that the finance minister assured Ghanaians that a stronger cedi would neutralise the impact of the levy and prevent consumers from paying additional costs.
According to him, the government projected that the levy would generate about GH₵5.7 billion annually to support the repayment of energy sector debt and help address recurring power challenges.
The levy took effect on 16 July 2025 and remains in place, he said.
