Ghana’s Energy Leaders Enrich Themselves While Sector Crumbles – Kofi Bentil

Kofi Bentil, a lawyer and Vice President of policy think tank IMANI-Africa, has criticized political appointees and technocrats in Ghana’s energy sector, accusing them of using their positions to amass personal wealth while leaving behind a troubled industry.

During an appearance on Joy News on Saturday, June 7, Bentil argued that the persistent energy challenges are driven not just by technical or financial issues, but by a deep-rooted culture of corruption and incompetence among sector leaders.

“Look at those who manage the energy sector—when they leave office, they’re far richer,” he stated.

He pointed out that successive governments have failed to impose accountability and transparency, allowing vested interests to benefit at the expense of ordinary citizens, who continue to suffer from high fuel prices and additional taxes.

Bentil criticized the newly introduced fuel tax as part of a broader pattern of poor governance, stating it is unfair to keep imposing new financial burdens without addressing the inefficiencies that waste public funds.

“The real issue in our energy sector isn’t tax-related—it’s about corruption and incompetence,” he emphasized.

He also highlighted that earlier measures like the Energy Sector Levies Act (ESLA) failed to fix the core problems.

Under the amended Energy Sector Levy Bill of 2025, a new GHS1 fuel levy is projected to raise GHS5.7 billion annually. The government claims this revenue will be strictly allocated to essential energy expenditures such as debt servicing and fuel purchases to ensure stable power supply.