The Africa Sustainable Energy Centre (ASEC) has praised the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) for approving what it described as a fair and balanced electricity tariff adjustment for the current quarter.

In a statement issued on September 24, ASEC said the Commission had shown “commitment to fairly regulating electricity prices” by approving only a 1.14% increase instead of the 225% proposed.

According to ASEC, the decision places customers first and demonstrates a thoughtful approach in protecting the public from excessive utility costs.

The organisation, however, said that tariff reviews must always follow due process and warned that consumers should not be made to pay for the inefficiencies of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

“Under no circumstances should the inefficiencies of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) be shifted onto consumers,” the statement said.

It further urged that any future tariff adjustments linked to ECG should be tied to strict performance benchmarks, especially in cutting both technical and commercial losses.

ASEC also called on ECG to adopt “modern and effective revenue mobilisation strategies” to strengthen the financial health of the electricity sector in the long term. This, it said, would ensure stability in the sector without “unnecessarily burdening citizens.”

The group encouraged PURC to stand firm against external pressures that could lead to “unjustifiable increases and further strain on Ghanaians.”