Diesel users will continue to benefit from the government’s GH¢2 per litre fuel relief in September, while petrol consumers are expected to face higher prices from Tuesday, September 1, 2026.
The Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC) has projected a 4.80 percent increase in petrol prices for the new pricing window, compared with a 2.10 percent rise in diesel prices.
Despite the expected increase in both products, the government has chosen to maintain its intervention specifically for diesel consumers.
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, Richmond Rockson, said the decision was deliberate because diesel has a wider impact on transportation, businesses and industrial activity.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Monday, August 31, 2026, Rockson explained that a large number of commercial vehicles rely on diesel, making changes in its price more likely to affect the broader economy.
“The reason the government concentrates on diesel is that diesel has an impact, a wider impact on industry and the cost of transportation,” he said.
He added that diesel prices would have risen further without the government’s GH¢2 per litre intervention.
“What the prices have been in the last month has been down because of government intervention of two Ghana cedis, which has cushioned consumer risk,” Rockson said.
The intervention was initially expected to end in August but has now been extended into September.
The government has not, however, announced how long the diesel relief will remain in place. Rockson said officials would continue monitoring developments in the international and domestic fuel markets before deciding whether the support should be extended further.
He also rejected concerns that the government was ignoring petrol consumers by focusing the current intervention on diesel.
According to Rockson, the government has previously supported petrol consumers during periods when prices were significantly higher.
He recalled a period when petrol sold at around GH¢14 per litre while diesel prices were between GH¢17 and GH¢18 per litre.
The significant difference between the prices, he said, was one of the factors that informed the decision to concentrate the current relief on diesel.
For the September 1 pricing window, however, petrol consumers are expected to experience a price increase without a corresponding GH¢2 per litre government intervention.
The difference in treatment means diesel users will continue to receive direct relief, while petrol consumers will absorb the expected increase in full.
