Ghana: Only 6.2% Of Low-Income Electricity Consumers In Accra And Central Regions Benefit From Lifeline Tariff – Report

A recent International Growth Centre (IGC)-funded study by the GIMPA–PURC Centre of Excellence in Public Utilities Regulation (CEPUR) has found that only a small share of households actually benefit from the lifeline electricity tariff, with beneficiaries unevenly spread across Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) districts and largely concentrated in low-income communities.

The research, titled “The Lifeline Electricity Tariff Classification Policy in Ghana: A Hit or Miss!”, was carried out in the Greater Accra and Central Regions and supported by the International Growth Centre, an organisation focused on economic policy research.

The survey sampled 1,098 households across the two regions.

However, the findings showed that only 6.2% of low-income households—those whose electricity consumption falls within the lifeline bracket of zero (0) to 30 kWh—reflecting a poor  targeting of the policy in the West African nation.

The findings were presented by Professor Philip Kofi Adom, the lead researcher, at a stakeholder engagement in Accra on Thursday, January 30, 2026.

Lifeline electricity tariffs provide subsidised power to low-income residential consumers, defined in Ghana as households that consume between zero and 30 kilowatt-hours per month.

The report recommended fixing “targeting linkages” for beneficiaries and addressing exclusion errors through improved metering systems. It also proposed introducing micro-consumption bands such as 0–30 kWh and 30–35 kWh to reduce sharp increases in bills that were “driving bunching and conservation through deprivation.”

Additionally, the report suggested automatic, time-limited rebates for repeat “near-miss” customers to protect near-poor and larger households that narrowly exceed the consumption threshold.

Other recommendations included enforcing the one-household-one-meter policy to address shared meters and implementing intensive, district-specific public education campaigns to improve understanding of the lifeline tariff system.

Dr. Ishmael Ackah, Technical Advisor at the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, said the Ministry remained committed to ensuring reliable and affordable electricity.

He noted that cost-effective tariffs were necessary to curb illegal connections, stressing that energy remained an anchor for integrating other sectors of the economy for national development.

Professor Samuel Kwaku Bonsu, Rector of GIMPA, described electricity as the engine of development, emphasising that both households and industry depended heavily on it.

He urged the government to design systems that ensured easy and affordable access to electricity, noting that many citizens spent a significant portion of their income on utilities.

Participants at the event called for broader stakeholder engagement to clarify eligibility criteria for lifeline tariffs, pointing out that the policy—intended to benefit poor households—is often accessed by wealthier ones.