Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, chief executive officer of the National Petroleum Authority, warned on Eyewitness News that diesel could be selling at around GH¢28 per litre if the government had not stepped in to cushion consumers from rising international petroleum prices.
Mr Tamakloe explained that the government has absorbed a significant portion of the cost increase to prevent the full burden from being passed on to motorists. He added that the intervention has helped keep diesel prices below what they would otherwise have been, noting that the international cost of diesel had risen sharply since February 2026.
“A litre tonne of diesel, which used to cost $794 as of February 2026, today is costing $1,519 per litre tonne. That’s almost twice the amount,” he said. He estimated that the interventions have so far amounted to close to GH¢1 billion.
To illustrate, Mr Tamakloe said a motorist buying 10 litres of diesel is effectively receiving GH¢20 in government support. “Do you know that today, if you go out to the pump and you buy 10 litres of diesel, what it means is that the Government of Ghana is directly putting 20 Ghana cedis in your pockets?” he said.
The comments come amid renewed pressure from transport unions for higher fares, citing rising fuel costs as a key factor. Mr Tamakloe said the government’s fuel intervention should be considered when assessing the impact of fuel prices on the operating costs of private transport operators.
Ghana has maintained a GH¢2‑per‑litre intervention on diesel as part of measures to cushion consumers. The international petroleum market remains volatile, meaning further movements in global prices could continue to affect Ghana’s domestic fuel market.
Stakeholders will watch how the government balances the need to support consumers with the fiscal impact of the subsidy as fuel prices evolve.
