ACCRA— Consumers in Ghana will face higher utility bills beginning next month following an upward adjustment in electricity and water tariffs announced by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC).
Under the Commission’s third-quarter tariff review, electricity tariffs will increase by 3.49 percent across the board, while water tariffs will see a minor upward adjustment of 0.85 percent, with both changes legally taking effect on July 1, 2026.
The regulatory body explained that the adjustments were executed in line with its statutory quarterly review mandate, which tracks essential macro-economic and operational cost variables that are beyond the control of utility providers. Key factors underpinning the third-quarter hikes include a 0.2 percent marginal depreciation of the Ghana Cedi against the US Dollar—calculated at a weighted average exchange rate of GHS 11.2228 to $1.00—alongside prevailing domestic inflation trends and the broader hydrothermal generation mix. The adjustments are intended to preserve the real value of the tariffs, shielding service providers from extreme revenue losses to maintain the operational viability of the national grid and water distribution systems.
The approved 3.49 percent electricity hike will apply across all residential, non-residential, and special load tariff customer brackets. Within the residential sector, vulnerable lifeline consumers using up to 30 kilowatt-hours per month will see their tariff shift from 86.9Gp per kilowatt-hour to 89.93Gp per kilowatt-hour. Concurrently, the 0.85 percent water tariff increment will affect all customer classes universally, effectively raising production cost margins for both domestic users and industrial hubs.
The PURC emphasized that while it remains sensitive to the current cost of living pressures on the Ghanaian public, the quarterly price alignments are critically necessary to ensure utility companies retain the financial capacity to procure raw materials, secure natural gas supply chains, and deliver stable, reliable public services nationwide.
