Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, is demanding urgent accountability for the nearly GH¢26 billion in taxes Ghanaians paid on fuel in 2024.

He warned that the government’s continued imposition of new levies on petroleum products risks deepening public disillusionment and widening economic inequality.

In a Facebook post following Parliament’s approval of the controversial Energy Sector Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2025, he questioned the rationale behind the new GH¢1 tax on every litre of fuel sold in the country, saying it represents yet another burden unfairly placed on the shoulders of the already struggling poor.

“Resetting Ghana shouldn’t be about imposing new taxes on the poor to continue to enrich elite and privileged looters,” he wrote. “It should be about curbing the huge waste and massive looting in all sectors.”

Mr. Braimah pointed out that Ghanaians paid nearly GH¢26 billion in taxes on fuel products in 2024 alone, yet the government now claims it needs over $3 billion to fix the country’s energy sector.

“Last year alone, total taxes paid by Ghanaians on fuel products was almost GHC26 billion. Where did all that money go to? What problems did it solve?” he asked, calling for transparency and answers from government.

The Energy Sector Levy (Amendment) Bill, which passed in Parliament on June 3 under a certificate of urgency, has sparked widespread criticism from civil society groups and the political opposition, who describe it as regressive and unjust.

The new levy is intended to raise revenue to address the country’s ballooning energy debt and ensure a stable power supply.

But Braimah insists mismanagement, corruption, and reckless spending are at the heart of Ghana’s energy crisis, not a lack of resources.

“We should be focusing on recovering all the over GHC38 billion that were lost in the last years to waste and looting,” he said, referencing the Auditor-General’s reports and other evidence of financial irregularities in public sector institutions.

Braimah did not spare the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) either. In a stark warning, he hinted at a growing scandal at the regulator.

“By the way, the scandal at the NPA is far bigger than the NSS scandal. Millions already gone in quarter one of 2025,” he stated, without elaborating further.

His post comes amid increasing public outcry over rising living costs, tax fatigue, and perceptions of elite impunity in governance.

Many Ghanaians have also taken to social media to echo Braimah’s concerns, demanding an audit of past fuel levies and more clarity on how public funds are utilised.