When the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) says there is “no turning back” on the 2026–2030 Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO), it is signalling a difficult season ahead for households and businesses across Ghana.
At meetings with the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in December 2025, the Commission reaffirmed that reversing the tariff decision would, in its view, threaten the stability of the energy and water sectors and weaken the broader economy. According to the PURC, “any reversal of the tariff decision would have significant implications, not only for the Commission’s independence but crucially for the stability of the energy and water sectors and the broader Ghanaian economy.”
On paper, the argument is about sustainability and long-term stability. On the ground, however, the impact is already being felt in workshops, factories, offices, and small shops across the country.
For many businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, electricity and water are not just utilities, they are lifelines. Power runs machines, preserves goods, supports digital services, and keeps doors open. Every increase in tariffs quietly chips away at already tight margins. For some, it means cutting back on staff hours. For others, it means passing costs on to customers who are themselves struggling to cope with rising living expenses.
Manufacturers feel the pressure most acutely. From powering machinery to maintaining cold storage and logistics, energy costs sit at the heart of production. Even modest increases can ripple through operations, slowing output or forcing difficult decisions about scale and staffing. For small producers and informal businesses operating with little financial cushion, the margin for error is almost nonexistent.
Service-based businesses are not spared either. Hospitals, schools, hotels, restaurants, and retail outlets all depend heavily on reliable electricity and water. As utility bills rise, many are left choosing between raising prices, postponing investment, or compromising service quality, choices that ultimately affect consumers and economic confidence.
Despite these realities, the PURC maintains that tariff stability is essential to preventing deeper structural problems in the energy and water sectors. According to the Commission, weakening the financial base of utility providers could lead to worsening outages, unreliable water supply, and a loss of investor confidence, outcomes that would hurt the economy even more in the long run.
Still, the human cost remains difficult to ignore. The Commission acknowledged labour concerns, noting that “the Commission acknowledged the concerns raised by the TUC and committed to addressing them during the next tariff review window.” For many businesses, however, that assurance offers little comfort today, as they grapple with rising operational costs, currency pressures, and slowing consumer demand.
The TUC has said it will continue to monitor how the new tariffs affect wages and livelihoods and will engage the government on broader cost-of-living challenges. Yet for business owners across the country, the issue goes beyond wages or policy timelines.
