This is the problem with utility tariff increases- everything else goes up.
Ghanaians now have to pay more for fuel despite low world market oil prices, more for electricity despite spending most of the past few years in half darkness and more for water. It’s almost like our government doesn’t want anyone to survive.
The President of the Association of Sachet and Packaged Water Producers, Magnus Nunoo- has hinted at a possible increase in the price of sachet water, because the increase in utlities has driven up immensely the cost of production.
Mr Nunoo told the Business and Financial Times that in the past few weeks, costs have increased for over 200%.
“Sadly, the figures that are out and the actual rates that we are being charged are different. The figures out there suggest that there has been an increment of 67.2 percent, but what we pay for bottled water now is 400 percent, and almost 200 percent for sachet water”, Mr Nunoo, who doubles as Chief Executive Officer of Mobile Water, told B&FT.
“We will definitely raise the prices and wait for government’s response, and if it does not heed our call then we will have to adjust prices a second time to reflect the actual price we are being charged as manufacturers,” he noted
According to him, the group would first increase to 30p per sachet, and if after that there’s no response from government, they would increase to 50p per sachet.
The unceasing increase in all types of utilities is generating serious backlash from the populace, but government is in no mood to budge from their position. Organised labour continue to protest, for whatever good that would do them.