Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has urged Ghanaians to rally behind the newly introduced GH₵1 per litre fuel levy, describing it as a necessary intervention to address the ballooning debt crisis in Ghana’s energy sector.
But he insists that the government must commit to full transparency and accountability in how the funds are utilised.
“This is a levy we must fully support because of the debt crisis in the energy sector,” Kpebu said on The KeyPoints on TV3, Saturday, June 7. “Government must however, ensure the proceeds are used for its intended purpose.”
His comments come amid a public uproar and growing parliamentary dissent over how the levy was passed. The Energy Sector Levies (Amendment) Bill, 2025—under which the tax was introduced—was passed under a certificate of urgency, bypassing what many describe as the usual legislative process.
The Minority in Parliament has accused the government of smuggling the bill through without proper consultation. Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh condemned the move as a breach of procedure.
“This business was introduced via an addendum paper,” he said. “Oftentimes, the practice in this House has been that if there’s going to be an introduction of business by an addendum, at least the leadership will be in the know. Nobody in the leadership—I can say this on authority—knew about it.”
Despite the political pushback and public concern over the lack of consultation, Kpebu maintains that the urgent need to resolve the sector’s $3 billion debt burden cannot be ignored. Still, he warned that mismanagement of the proceeds would erode public trust and render the policy counterproductive.
