Businesses in Ghana warn of negative impact of rising utility tariffs
The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has warned that recent hikes in electricity and water tariffs could hamper business recovery and employment prospects in the country.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) recently announced an increase in tariffs for the first quarter of this year, with monthly electricity and water bills set to rise by 29.96% and 8.3% respectively.
This marks the second significant increase in electricity tariffs within six months, with a total increase of 56.5% and a 48% increase in water tariffs over the same period.
The AGI has described the level of increases as excessive and believes they will negatively impact businesses’ ability to recover from the economic downturns of the past few years.
The association has called on the PURC to address what it perceives as a punitive tariff regime and for government to ensure efficient utility infrastructure and logistics management to reduce costs during these difficult times.
