Civil society organisations including IMANI Africa, COPEC Ghana, INSTEPR and Institute for Energy Security have proposed a GH¢1.65 reduction in petroleum product prices to cushion Ghanaians.
The groups, in a joint press release dated April 14, 2026, said the proposed relief should be implemented over a two-month period instead of the four weeks earlier suggested by government.
“At its last cabinet meeting, the President, H.E. Mahama directed the Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Finance to review the petroleum price build up in order to recommend possible reduction of taxes, margins and levies to provide temporary relief for Ghanaians,” the statement said.
The CSOs, while backing the directive, argued that the relief must be meaningful but not harmful to the sector’s viability.
“While some of us in the Civil Society space believe that the relief should be substantial… it must nevertheless [not] lead to a sudden corrosive effect on operations and sustainability of the petroleum subsector,” they noted.
Following what they described as extensive consultations, the groups proposed “a cumulative reduction of GH¢1.65 from the current petroleum price build up,” stressing that the intervention “should last for a period of TWO months instead of the FOUR weeks proposed by the government.”
They further indicated that the proposal would not significantly strain government finances.
“This recommendation should not over burden 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,” the statement explained.
Additionally, the organisations called for long-term structural reforms to address persistent fuel price hikes.
They urged government to undertake “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.”
The CSOs also proposed the creation of a Strategic Reserve Fund to stabilise fuel prices in times of volatility, as well as increased investment in refining and storage infrastructure.
According to them, there is the need for “modernisation and retooling of the country’s refinery and storage space by committing to make adequate investments in the country’s major oil refinery (TOR) and BOST.”
The statement added that improving capacity at the Tema Oil Refinery and the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company would enable Ghana to better refine its crude and store petroleum products to cushion the local market against global shocks.
