Minority Criticizes Government’s 2-Cedi Diesel Relief as Insufficient
Opposition argues the measure is a temporary refund, not a sign of generosity, as fuel prices remain above 2025 levels
- The opposition describes the two-cedi relief as a temporary measure, not an act of generosity.
- Even with the relief, diesel prices are still above January 2025 levels by over 11%.
- Consumers have already paid higher costs through levies over the past 18 months, according to critics.
The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has described the government’s recent two-cedi relief on diesel as a temporary measure rather than an act of generosity.
George Kwame Aboagye, the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Energy Committee, emphasized that this intervention does not restore fuel prices to the levels seen in January 2025.
He pointed out that consumers have already borne higher costs through various petroleum-related levies over the past 18 months.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, August 5, Mr. Aboagye stated, “A two-cedi reduction is not generosity. It’s a partial, temporary refund of money already taken from consumers overnight.”
He further explained that even if the full two-cedi reduction is passed on, diesel prices would still remain above January 2025 levels.
For instance, on August 3, 2026, GOIL Ghana Limited sold petrol at GH₵15.99 per litre and diesel at GH₵19.26 per litre. In comparison, prices in January 2025 were approximately GH₵15.13 per litre for petrol and GH₵15.49 per litre for diesel.
Mr. Aboagye also highlighted that the cedi had strengthened during this period, moving from around GH₵14.70 to the US dollar to about GH₵11.67.
“Today, petrol is approximately 5.7 percent higher than in January 2025, while diesel is about 24.3 percent higher. Even with the full two-cedi reduction, diesel will still be roughly 11.4 percent above its January 2025 level,” he added.
