The Consumer Protection Agency (CPA) has asked the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to put on hold the planned utility tariff adjustments slated to take effect from May 3, 2025.
This follows the announcement of an impending increase of 14.75% in electricity tariffs and 4.02% in water charges.
The CPA has requested that the PURC put on hold the implementation of the new tariffs until the Commission’s Technical and External Committees are properly constituted and operational.
In a statement signed by Director of Mediation and Arbitration, Nana Prempeh Okogyeabour Aduhene, the Consumer Protection Agency insisted that these bodies are essential for ensuring transparent deliberation and effective consumer representation in tariff review processes.
According to the CPA, these two committees have been inactive since the assumption of a new government, creating a vacuum in consumer engagement and oversight.
The agency maintains that without these committees, there has been inadequate consultation and insufficient consumer representation in the lead-up to the proposed tariff adjustments.
“The PURC Technical Committee’s main function is to review and consider utility tariff applications, including tariff methodology, structure, and benchmarking. It also examines reports of technical and operational audits of utility companies. In essence, the committee provides technical expertise to the PURC in its regulatory role.
“Also the External committee of The PURC (Public Utilities Regulatory Commission) external committee’s functions, as established under Part 3, Section 31 of the PURC Act 1997 (Act 538), include acting as the Commission’s “eyes and ears” in areas where it lacks offices. These committees represent consumers, consult with utility providers, and provide the Commission with information on service quality and consumer issues in their region. They also make recommendations for service improvement and educate consumers about their rights and responsibilities.
“Since the assumption of a new government, these two important committees were dissolved. We strongly believe that the PURC didn’t do much consultation and also the interest of consumers was not properly represented,” part of the statement read.
The CPA argues that a number of unresolved issues regarding utility service delivery remain unaddressed by the PURC. These concerns, the agency believes, must be considered before any tariff hikes are introduced and accepted by consumers.
