The Food and Beverage Association of Ghana (FABAG) has called on the President John Dramani Mahama-led Government to initiate urgent reforms in the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) before approving any further tariff increases.
Reverend John Awuni, the Chairman of FABAG, said inefficiency, corruption, and revenue leakages within the two utilities continued to erode public trust and threatened Ghana’s economic growth.
He made the call at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, on the theme: “Efficiency Before Tariffs: A Call for Urgent Presidential Reform of ECG and Ghana Water Company.”
Rev. Awuni said without tackling issues of theft and corruption among others, any tariff increment would only worsen the cost of living and production in the country, adding that the power sector was “bleeding from waste and mismanagement.”
“The ECG lost about 32 per cent of purchased electricity in 2024, far exceeding the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission’s (PURC) benchmark of 21 per cent,” he said.
He said between August 2023 and July 2024, ECG collected only 43 per cent of the total revenue it billed, despite recording total earnings of GH₵11.5 billion, of which GH₵8.6 billion was officially declared.
“No company can survive when it loses a third of its product and collects less than half of what it sells,” he said.
Rev. Awuni made reference to the 2024 Auditor-General’s report, which flagged ECG for multi-billion-cedi financial discrepancies and poor accountability systems and further alleged conflict of interest situations within the company, with some engineers and staff awarding inflated contracts to their own private firms.

“How can a monopoly keep making losses and still demand tariff increases, every time tariffs go up, inefficiency and waste continue, just like “pouring water into a basket.”
The FABAG Chairman expressed concern over ECG and GWCL’s recent proposals to increase tariffs by up to 255 per cent between 2025 and 2030, warning that such hikes would cripple local industries and burden households already grappling with high costs.
He, therefore, called on President John Dramani Mahama to set up a presidential reform task force, comprising the ministries of Energy and Finance, the PURC, and other agencies to oversee the restructuring of the two utility organisations.
Rev Awuni also recommended the introduction of quarterly publication of loss and collection rates to ensure transparency and accountability.
He said “power security” must mean electricity that is available, accessible, affordable, reliable, and sustainable, warning that Ghana’s current situation reflected “power insecurity,” as many citizens could not afford electricity despite its availability.
“Ghana’s 24-hour economic policy would not succeed without affordable and efficient power, saying: “If industries cannot afford electricity, production will drop, businesses will close, and unemployment will rise.”
The Association urged the government to prioritise reforms over tariff hikes as Ghanaians were already paying enough.
“What we need now is accountability, efficiency, and fairness, not higher tariffs,” it said.
Though FABAG reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the government’s resetting agenda, it maintained that tackling corruption and inefficiency in the power and water sectors was necessary as the only sustainable path to reliable and affordable utilities for all Ghanaians.