Four civil society organisations are proposing a GH¢1.65 reduction in fuel prices per litre for two months, arguing that the relief should be deeper and longer than what the government is currently considering.

In a joint recommendation issued on April 14, 2026, IMANI Africa, COPEC Ghana, INSTERPR and the Institute for Energy Security urged the government to cut taxes, levies and margins in the petroleum price build-up to ease the burden on consumers.

The proposal follows a recent directive by John Dramani Mahama, who tasked the Ministries of Energy and Finance to review the fuel price structure and propose temporary relief measures.

“While some of us in the Civil Society space believe that the relief should be substantial… it must nevertheless not lead to a sudden corrosive effect on operations and sustainability of the petroleum subsector,” the groups said.

According to the CSOs, the GH¢1.65 reduction would be achieved by trimming several components in the price build-up, including the Road Fund Levy, Energy Fund Levy, Special Petroleum Tax, and margins such as BOST and fuel marking.

They also proposed cutting the Unified Petroleum Pricing Fund (UPPF) by half and removing the Price Stabilisation and Recovery Levy (PSRL) entirely, while leaving the Energy Sector Shortfall and Debt Repayment Levy unchanged.

The groups insist the relief should last two months, rather than the four weeks reportedly being considered by the government, to provide what they describe as meaningful cushioning for Ghanaians amid rising living costs.

They further argue that the state has the fiscal space to absorb the reductions, citing expected windfalls from crude oil production and exports during the period.

Beyond the immediate intervention, the organisations are calling for broader reforms in the downstream petroleum sector.

These include a rationalisation of fuel taxes and levies, the establishment of a strategic fuel reserve fund, and renewed investment in the Tema Oil Refinery to boost local refining capacity.

The CSOs also reminded the government of earlier commitments to modernise the refinery and reduce Ghana’s dependence on imported refined petroleum products.