Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), Duncan Amoah, has welcomed the government’s decision to extend its GH¢2 per litre intervention on diesel, describing it as a demonstration that authorities are listening to the concerns of ordinary Ghanaians.

Mr Amoah, in an interview on Joy FM's Midday News on Monday, August 31, said the extension will provide significant relief to diesel users who would otherwise have faced another steep increase in fuel prices.

According to him, the earlier intervention was originally scheduled to end on August 31, but its extension means the GH¢2 relief will continue to apply from Tuesday.

Mr Amoah said without the extension, diesel prices could have risen to almost GH¢20 per litre.

“The government continues to listen and continues to have the ordinary man’s plight in mind,” he said.

He acknowledged that maintaining the intervention comes at a cost to the government, but argued that the immediate relief is necessary given the impact of rising fuel prices on households, transport operators and businesses.

Mr Amoah, however, stressed that the intervention should not become a permanent solution to Ghana’s fuel price challenges.

He urged the government to use the breathing space created by the relief to pursue medium- and long-term measures aimed at addressing the factors responsible for persistent increases in petroleum prices.

“Whilst government continues to mitigate the plight of the Ghanaian, we should also be thinking medium- to long-term solutions to these persistent increases in fuel prices,” he said.

He noted that although the government appears to have initiated some measures in that direction, there are other areas where little progress has been made.

Mr Amoah therefore called for a more comprehensive strategy that will reduce the frequency and severity of fuel price shocks and provide greater predictability for consumers.

The COPEC Executive Secretary said such a strategy would ensure that government interventions do not merely cushion consumers temporarily but also tackle the underlying challenges driving petroleum price increases.