A member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammy Darkwah, has accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government led by President John Dramani Mahama of politicising fuel prices and the challenges confronting consumers.
Speaking on Plan B FM’s Nkosuo Nsem with Kofi Sekyi, Mr. Darkwah said the NDC, while in opposition, frequently criticised the then NPP government over increases in petrol and diesel prices, attributing the situation to incompetence and economic mismanagement.
According to him, the current NDC government has, however, performed worse in managing fuel price challenges despite previously criticising the NPP over similar increases.
Mr. Darkwah said Ghanaians continue to bear the consequences of what he described as the constant politicisation of fuel prices by political parties.
His comments come amid projections by the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) of significant increases in fuel prices for the first pricing window of October 2026.
COPEC has projected a 5.21% increase in petrol prices and a 22.91% rise in diesel prices, effective Thursday, October 1, 2026.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, September 29, COPEC said petrol could increase from GH¢16.90 to GH¢17.78 per litre, while diesel is projected to rise from GH¢18.24 to GH¢22.42 per litre.
The Chamber also expects Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to increase to GH¢15.68 per kilogramme.
COPEC attributed the projected increases largely to higher international petroleum prices and a marginal depreciation of the Ghana cedi against the US dollar.
According to the Chamber, crude oil prices increased from $103.07 to $124 per barrel during the pricing window, while the cedi depreciated by about 1.20% against the US dollar.
Mr. Darkwah said the latest projections highlight the continued pressure fuel prices are placing on Ghanaians and businesses.
He called for a shift from partisan arguments over fuel prices towards sustainable measures to address the underlying challenges affecting the petroleum sector.
By: Bernard Mensah
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