Stop Politicizing Tariff Increments – Solomon Nkansah

A former National Communications Officer of the NDC, Solomon Nkansah, has advised politicians to desist from politicizing issues relating to the tariff increments.

He said the energy situation was such that, “every Ghanaian must understand the need to increase tariffs and not allow social considerations into the energy sector which only resulted in legacy debts.”

“Is sad how some Ghanaians and politicians always politicize issues relating to utility tariffs,” Solomon Nkansah exclusively told Lawyer Ohene Djan on Pae Mu Ka on Accra based Kingdom FM 107.7.

According to him, the regulator needs to be realistic to help the utility companies make the needed impact, but rather the commission is playing politics with the utility tariffs not to offend the political authorities.

He, therefore, called on labour to do away with the politicization of the energy issue and be real to the situation pertaining on the ground so that together, there would be a convergence where all stakeholders would be satisfied with the energy situation.

Background
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) announced a 5.6 per cent increase in electricity tariffs on Monday 30th September 2019, leading to claims by the opposition that government had mismanaged the electricity sector, hence the “unprecedented” increase.

However, the Vice President maintained that the Nana Akufo-Addo government had kept faith with Ghanaians and had for the first time in Ghana’s history, cumulatively reduced tariffs since assuming office on January 7, 2017.

“You would have heard that the PURC has increased electricity tariffs by 5.6 percent. It is very very important for us to have some perspective on this because electricity has a bearing on the cost of doing business and you have to be having your eye on it so that we don’t overburden businesses.