Alexander Afenyo-Markin
The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has responded strongly to Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobbey’s criticism of his performance as ECG Board Chairman.
Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobbey, in an interview with TV3 called on Afenyo-Markin to first account for his performance as Board Chairman of the ECG under the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo administration before taking aim at the government’s decision to implement a new GH¢1 levy on petroleum products.
He said Afenyo-Markin has no right to talk now because members created the problems Ghana is currently facing in the power sector.
“The Minority in Parliament, I think, should shut up, because the problems we are facing are largely due to the Minority’s failure to act or their irresponsible acts when they were in government. The only thing I will ask the Minority leader is that he should account for his stewardship of ECG in 2023/2024. If he’s able to account for the huge losses that ECG incurred under his stewardship, we may begin to listen to him,” he stated.
His remarks follow confirmation by the Ghana Revenue Authority that the amended Energy Sector Levies Act, 2025, will come into force on July 16, 2025.
Under the new policy, consumers will pay GH¢1 on every litre of fuel purchased—a move the government defends as necessary to salvage the heavily indebted energy sector, which is burdened with liabilities estimated at GH¢3 billion.
Afenyo-Markin in response lashed out at the government over the levy, describing it as a disguised version of the unpopular E-Levy. His comments came after Parliament passed the controversial bill in the early hours of June 4, 2025.
“You presented your budget saying you are not going to introduce new taxes and levies, then you turn and say you are repealing E-levy, but now you are bringing back E-levy. You repeal e-levy and reinstate E-levy…. This is not what Ghanaians voted for,” Afenyo-Markin said.
Responding to these claims by Wereko-Barobbey, Afenyo-Markin said
“I was not the Chairman of the ECG Board in 2023, as Dr. Wereko-Brobbey suggested. I was appointed on 16th July 2024 and officially sworn in on 17th July 2024. My tenure lasted just about six months, ending in January 2025” Osahen Afenyo-Markin clarified.
He reiterated that any desperate attempt to associate him with ECG’s losses in 2023 or early 2024 is both unfounded and disingenuous.
The former ECG Board Chairman detailed several reform initiatives introduced under his leadership to improve the company’s operational efficiency and reduce losses.
These, he pointed out, included modernising the ECG’s metering infrastructure, with particular attention to expanding prepaid meter coverage and reducing revenue leakages.
“At my very first board meeting, I abolished ECG’s outdated procurement model and instituted a system where payments were made only after verified deliveries.
“This alone saved the company significant cost.
“Many of the ECG’s meters had expired or were malfunctioning, contributing to inefficiencies. I prioritised fixing that,” Afenyo-Markin added.
He stressed that Independent Power Producers (IPPs) received record cumulative payments during his tenure, affirming his administration’s commitment to financial responsibility and systemic reform.
Osahen Afenyo-Markin rejected the idea that ECG’s challenges should be met with higher tariffs or new levies, calling such approaches ‘short-sighted’ and counterproductive.
According to him, his approach has never been anchored in tariff increments but consistently advocating for cost-saving reforms, not new burdens on Ghanaians, citing his public opposition to the recent one Cedi Energy Sector Levy per litre of fuel.
“It is misguided to resort to frequent tariff hikes or new levies without fixing deep-rooted inefficiencies. Less than 30% of consumers pay for electricity consumed—the rest is lost to illegal connections, poor billing, and systemic lapses,” he stated.
Afenyo-Markin also took a swipe at the current NDC administration’s recent electricity tariff hikes—14.75% in May and an additional 2.45% in July—calling the combined 17.2% increase ‘unjustifiable without efficiency improvements.
“Tariffs must be justified by efficiency, not imposed to cover mismanagement,” he added.
While acknowledging the groundwork laid by previous ECG leadership, particularly in digitising revenue systems and initiating the Loss Reduction Programme, he emphasised that his short tenure focused on building upon those gains through structural reform.
“I welcome dissenting views, but they must be grounded in verifiable facts,” he said, addressing Dr. Wereko-Brobbey directly.
He added, “If you possess evidence to support your claims, I challenge you to present it publicly.”