The Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko has argued that accusations made against President Akufo-Addo, saying he broke sections of the law for announcing the 14%reduction on electricity tariffs, is baseless.

President Akufo-Addo had announced earlier that tariffs on electricity for non-residential has been reduced by 14%.

“From January this year, the non-residential tariff rate, which is the rate which includes all of you here, is being reduced by an average of 14%. For barbers, it is being reduced by 18%; for hairdressers and beauticians, 15.7%, and for tailors, 9.8%.” The President stated.

“An average bill last year was GH¢562 a month. With this reduction from January, it is coming down to GH¢473 a month, which means GH¢88 has been taken from the electricity tariff that you pay. We want to encourage private business, and make business stand on its feet,” He further said.

Mr Agyarko while supporting the President's announcement also said that the same law gives right to individuals and institutions to make proposals on electricity prices and wondered why the president will be exempt from making the same proposals.

For a country whose residents have been used to hikes in tariffs, the news about a reduction appears rather to have been entangled in some kind of controversy merely because of who announced it first.

The former Deputy Minister for Energy John Jinapor  had stated that the President had no business in announcing the reduction in electricity tariffs.

The PURC Act, 1997, Act 538 (sections 3a and 16) gives power to the Public Utility and Regulatory Commission to set rates and prices of utilities.

However, Mr Agyarko has defended the President saying what he said was within the demands of the law.

According to him, the President on behalf of the government made the announcement.

“Is it good for this country to have power reduction?” he asked, describing the ongoing debate as “trivial.”

Dr Steve Manteaw, a policy analyst for the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) has stated that the attempts by the Energy Minister to justify a "colossal blunder" is rather unfortunate although he accepted the price reduction as welcoming.

Ghanaguardian.com