The “Reset” has hit a pothole, and it smells like diesel. After promising a clean break from the “tax-and-spend” ghost of the past, President Mahama now faces a GH₵1.65 challenge from the very civil society groups that once prayed for his return.
At his last cabinet meeting, the President directed a review of the petroleum price build-up to provide relief during these “difficult and uncertain times”. It sounds noble. It sounds empathetic. But for a coalition including IMANI Africa, COPEC, and IES, the government’s proposed four-week fix is a band-aid on a bullet wound.
The coalition is demanding a GH₵1.65 reduction per litre, insisting this relief last for two months rather than the government’s month-long gesture. They argue the state can afford it, pointing to a “significant windfall” from upstream crude production that should cushion the fiscal blow.
The Anatomy of the Relief
The proposed cuts target the “tolerated waste” in the system. The breakdown is a surgical strike on the levies that have long bloated Ghanaian fuel prices:
| ITEM | Current (GHp) | Proposed Reduction (GHp) |
| Road Fund Levy | 0.48 | 0.24 |
| Energy Fund Levy | 1.00 | 0.50 |
| UPPF | 0.90 | 0.45 |
| PSRL | 0.14 | 0.14 (Full removal) |
| BOST Margin | 0.12 | 0.06 |
The perplexity lies in the “Special Petroleum Tax”—a levy the NDC once famously labeled as “callous” while in opposition. Today, the coalition is only asking for a 50% cut to 0.23 GHp, perhaps realizing that even a “Reset” government struggles to kick its addiction to easy revenue.
Beyond the immediate price drop, the groups are holding the President to his word regarding the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR). They are demanding the “modernisation and retooling” he promised during his last engagement with CSOs, ensuring Ghana can finally refine its own crude liftings.
The question for the Jubilee House is no longer about empathy; it is about math. If the government ignores this GH₵1.65 recommendation, it confirms a haunting suspicion: that the “Reset” was merely a change in the driver, while the tax engine continues to overheat.
The windfall is coming. The crude is flowing. The only thing missing is the political will to stop “bleeding” the Ghanaian driver.
If the President fails to act on this data, he isn’t just ignoring the CSOs; he is refueling the very anger that brought him back to power.
