This recent statement by the ECG PRO claiming that Ghanaians are paying more because they are “purchasing lots of appliances during discounted sales” isn’t just a PR blunder; it’s an insult to every hardworking Ghanaian. Since the ECG wants to talk about “consumption,” let’s hold up a mirror and look at the real numbers they …
Dear ECG: Household appliances are not the cause of systemic inefficiencies
This recent statement by the ECG PRO claiming that Ghanaians are paying more because they are “purchasing lots of appliances during discounted sales” isn’t just a PR blunder; it’s an insult to every hardworking Ghanaian.
Since the ECG wants to talk about “consumption,” let’s hold up a mirror and look at the real numbers they don’t want you to see:
- The “Ghost” Exchange Rate Scam
While the ECG blames your new fridge, they conveniently forget that between late 2025 and early 2026, tariffs were calculated using an exchange rate of GH¢12.00+, even though the actual rate was around GH¢10.90.
The Result? An over-recovery of nearly GH¢1.5 billion taken directly from our pockets. That isn’t appliance usage; that’s a math “error” in the utilities’ favour.
- The 30% “Leaking Bucket”
Imagine a water company that loses 30% of its water through rusty pipes before it reaches your house, and then tells YOU to stop drinking so much water.
The Reality? ECG loses nearly 30% of its power to technical and commercial losses (thievery!). In any other business, you’d be fired for that level of waste. Instead, they ask us to pay for the “leaks.”
- The “Luxury” of Light
The ECG PRO suggests we are on a shopping spree, yet we pay $0.16 to $0.22 per kWh.
For context:
- Many citizens in North America pay between $0.13 and $0.18.
- They earn in Dollars; we earn in Cedis.
Fact: On a Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) basis, Ghanaians are paying some of the highest effective electricity rates in the world.
- The Solar Roadblock
If the ECG is so worried about the “burden” on the grid, why is the government still charging Import Duties and VAT on solar inverters and batteries?
If you really wanted to help the consumer, you’d make it cheaper for us to generate our own power. Instead, you tax the solution and blame us for the problem.
Ghanaians aren’t “over-consuming”; we are over-paying for a system that is poorly managed and heavily taxed.
ECG, stop looking at our shopping bags and start looking at your balance sheets.
By: John Sitsofe Mensah, technology policy analyst for IMANI (Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (CSTI))
