Four civil society organisations have suggested a cumulative reduction of GH¢1.65 per litre on the current petroleum price build-up.
The proposed reduction follows President Mahama’s directive to review the petroleum price build-up and recommend a possible reduction of taxes, margins and levies to provide temporary relief for Ghanaians.
In a joint statement by the CSOs, which comprised IMANI Africa, Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC Ghana), Institute for Energy Policies and Research (INSTEPR) and Indian Engineering Services (IES), they noted that the suggested reduction should last for a period of two months instead of the four weeks proposed by the government.
According to them, the recommendation should not place an undue burden on the country’s budget flexibility space.
According to the statement dated Tuesday, April 14, 2026: “The recommendation should not overburden the country’s fiscal space as we are also minded by the fact government will be getting a significant windfall from the country’s upstream crude production and exports within this given period.”
They CSOs further urged the ministries of finance and energy to consider a much more comprehensive solution to the country’s perennial fuel price escalations by seeing to the following;
1. A more comprehensive rationalisation of all existing taxes, levies and margins with the aim to permanently removing all that are a drag on individual and national resources.
2. Create a Strategic Reserve Fund by revisiting some of the levies proposed for review above (whose revenues could be utilised at all times in the purchase and storage of real-time fuel that can be used to positively intervene in the domestic market when the unforeseen happens.
3. Modernisation and retooling of the country’s refinery space by committing to make adequate investment’s in the country’s major oil refinery (TOR) such that, TOR together with the other refineries will be in a much better position to refine the country’s crude liftings. This was a promise made by the President at his last engagement with the CSOs.
