Amid the resentment that has swept through the public space after it came to light that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is requesting a 225% increase in its Distribution Service Charge (DSC), the Institute of Climate and Environmental Governance (ICEG) says the demand is unjustified and unfair.
This request was contained in the power distributor’s new proposal to the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) for implementation in the 2025-2029 regulatory period.
But ICEG did not mince words by describing this level of increment as “monstrous.”
A statement released by ICEG, cited by The High Street Journal, slammed the power distributor for making such a request. The proposed increment, ICEG says, is clearly against the principles of fairness, accountability, and sustainability.”
The strongly worded statement warned that the proposed jump from GH₵19.04/kWh to GH₵61.8/kWh would crush households and businesses already battling inflation, a weakening currency, and rising living costs.
“The Institute of Climate and Environmental Governance (ICEG) is deeply concerned about the Electricity Company of Ghana’s (ECG) proposal to increase its Distribution Service Charge (DSC) by a monstrous 225% for the 2025-2029 regulatory period,” the statement remarked.
“The new proposal, which imposes a financial burden emanating from ECG’s inefficiencies on households and businesses already struggling with dire effects of inflation, a depreciating currency, and rising cost of living, is unjustifiable,” ICEG stressed.
It further argued that ECG had not disclosed its revenue gains from currency appreciation this year, despite exchange rate movements being a key factor in tariff calculations.
The think tank cautioned that such a steep adjustment, without measures to cushion lifeline consumers, would push struggling families further into hardship and cripple small-scale businesses.
Ghanaians, ICEG insists, deserve affordable, reliable, and sustainable power, yet cannot be made to pay for the inefficiencies of ECG.
