The price of diesel at fuel stations could have risen to about GH¢28 per litre if the government had not intervened to absorb part of the sharp increase in international petroleum prices, Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Godwin Edudzi Tameklo, has disclosed.
According to Mr Tameklo, the international price of diesel has nearly doubled since February 2026, putting significant pressure on domestic fuel prices and making government intervention necessary to cushion consumers.
He said the price of a tonne of diesel on the international market has increased from approximately US$794 in February to US$1,519, an increase that would have translated into significantly higher pump prices had the full cost been passed on to consumers.
Speaking on Citi FM on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, Mr Tameklo said the government has so far spent close to GH¢1 billion on interventions aimed at absorbing part of the rising cost of petroleum products.
He explained that the intervention was effectively reducing the amount motorists would otherwise have to pay at the pumps.
Mr Tameklo said a consumer purchasing 10 litres of diesel was benefiting from approximately GH¢20 in government support under the intervention.
“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.
He stressed that without the government’s intervention, the sharp increase in international petroleum prices would have been reflected more directly in domestic pump prices.
The NPA chief executive noted that such an increase could have broader economic consequences, particularly through higher transportation costs and subsequent increases in the prices of goods and services.
The government’s intervention, he said, was therefore intended to prevent the full impact of the international price surge from being transferred to consumers.