The CEO of the Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMCs) says the recently approved GH¢1 energy sector levy on petroleum products will not fix Ghana’s deeply troubled energy system.
According to Dr. Riverson Oppong, simply throwing more money at a system that’s structurally broken is a recipe for failure.
“You can’t fix a broken system by just adding GH¢1,” Dr. Oppong stressed during an interview on PM Express with Evans Mensah, a day after Parliament passed the controversial Energy Sector Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The bill, which introduces a new GH¢1 charge on every litre of petrol and diesel, is intended to help government raise extra revenue to tackle mounting energy sector debt and ensure a stable power supply.
But Dr. Oppong fears the solution is being approached backwards.
“Last year alone, ESLA—when you do a simple table-top calculation—raised no less than GH¢9 billion,” he revealed.
“So you’re going to ask yourself: where did the money go? It’s not about increasing the ESLA or adding another GH¢1 that might solve the problem. We need to understand what the exact problem is.”
He argued that the downstream petroleum sector has shouldered the financial burden of the power sector for far too long.
“The downstream sector has supported the electricity business for quite a long time. Since ESLA was enacted, we’ve been absorbing the cost. But we can’t keep doing this with no accountability.”
To him, the fundamental issue is not just about raising money but whether the system is designed to spend wisely and sustainably.
“Building a storey building on a very soft foundation will cause a collapse,” Dr. Oppong warned. “So if we are not solving the real issues and we just put another layer of cost, it’s only going to cave in.”
He acknowledged the frustration Ghanaians feel during blackouts, especially at night.
“If you are an ordinary Ghanaian, and you have your power off in the middle of the night when the weather is hot, it’s very painful. For government too, when there’s lights out, aka Dumsor, I don’t think it’s a sweet thing.”
However, he questioned whether the government has done enough to explore other options.
“You look at it from the pros and cons—what is this levy addressing, and what other options could have been on the table to avoid what we might face in the near future?”
He cited the Energy Sector Recovery Programme (ESRP) as a missed opportunity.
“The ESRP was enacted to solve this particular problem,” he noted. “But what happened to it? Why are we back to taxing fuel again?”
Dr. Oppong urged a hard look at systemic inefficiencies and called for transparency and accountability in how past levies have been utilised.
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