A member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Kwame Jantuah Esq., has urged the government to adopt a comprehensive and long-term strategy to address rising fuel prices, cautioning against relying on minimal or short-term reductions.
Speaking during an interview with Lily Mohammed on GH Today on GHOne TV, on Tuesday April 7, 2026, Mr. Jantuah welcomed indications by President John Dramani Mahama that an emergency Cabinet meeting would be convened to address the situation.
“The mere fact that President Mahama feels the plight of the people and is prepared to have an emergency cabinet meeting on it shows a sign of being with the times,” he said.
However, he stressed that marginal reductions alone would not significantly ease the burden on consumers. “Even if you take the one cedi off and petrol prices are still 16 cedis… still high. Diesel… still high. So it’s not a question of the one cedi. It’s a question of the mix,” Jantuah explained.
He called for a broader review of petroleum pricing, suggesting that government could “look at the build-up of petroleum charges” and make necessary adjustments to bring prices down meaningfully.
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Beyond immediate relief, Jantuah emphasized the need for structural reforms in Ghana’s energy sector. “This yo-yo type of petrol price… must push us to look long term,” he noted, pointing out that Ghana, as an oil-producing country, should leverage its resources more effectively.
“We are an oil-producing country… we have a part of our oil that comes to us, which we export. We can start refining,” he said, advocating for increased local refining capacity rather than continued reliance on imported refined petroleum products.
Jantuah also proposed the expansion of strategic petroleum reserves to stabilize prices during global fluctuations. “At the present moment… we have six weeks of strategic stocks. We need more than six weeks if things start going wrong,” he cautioned.
He further highlighted the potential benefits of using locally refined fuel to reduce capital flight. “If we can even break that refined petroleum products quantum and use our own oil… we are saving that bit of capital flight,” he explained.
On government revenue, Jantuah pointed to gains from rising global crude oil prices, suggesting that part of the windfall could be used to cushion consumers. “There’s a windfall… Cabinet can look at that and say, okay, we can use some of that to cushion,” he said.
He concluded by calling for a clear and sustainable policy framework to manage fuel price volatility. “For me, it is the plan. What plan do we put in place… so that when such things happen, we can revert to the plan,” Jantuah stated, adding that Ghanaians would be watching closely to see whether government’s measures would “truly cushion” the public.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh/Abigail Praise Pabai
