Government intervention successfully shielded Ghanaian consumers from a severe pump price shock that would have driven diesel to nearly GH¢28 per litre, National Petroleum Authority (NPA) Chief Executive Godwin Edudzi Tameklo has disclosed.
Mr Tameklo said the intervention became necessary after a steep rise in international diesel prices threatened to push the full cost of the product onto motorists and businesses.
“I need to point out that for the intervention from government, a litre of diesel should be selling within the region of GH¢28 per litre,” he said.
International diesel price nearly doubles
The NPA boss said the international price of diesel had risen from about US$794 per tonne in February 2026 to US$1,519 per tonne.
That jump has placed oil marketing companies and consumers under pressure, particularly because Ghana imports a considerable share of its refined petroleum products.
Without support, Mr Tameklo argued, the higher international cost would have flowed directly into local pump prices. Transport operators, farmers, manufacturers and households would have felt it almost immediately.
Diesel is central to Ghana’s haulage and commercial transport system. A sharp increase usually travels beyond the filling station, showing up in transport fares, food prices and business operating costs.
Nearly GH¢1 billion committed
Mr Tameklo disclosed that the government had committed close to GH¢1 billion to measures designed to soften the impact of the international price surge.
He estimated that consumers receive about GH¢20 in support whenever they purchase 10 litres of diesel. That works out to roughly GH¢2 for every litre bought.
The intervention is buying consumers some breathing room, although global petroleum prices remain unsettled. Continued support could also become costly for the public purse if international prices stay elevated.
For now, the NPA says the policy has prevented a far harsher increase at the pumps and reduced the immediate threat of higher transport and commodity prices.
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