{
  "id": 7316803,
  "title": "Ghanaians deserve GH¢5 fuel relief; gov’t can afford it – Egyapa Mercer",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/ghanaians-deserve-gh-5-fuel-relief-govt-can-afford-it-egyapa-mercer",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-14T12:24:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Adom Online",
    "slug": "adom-online",
    "url": "https://www.adomonline.com/ghanaians-deserve-gh%c2%a25-fuel-relief-govt-can-afford-it-egyapa-mercer/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Sekondi MP and Deputy Energy Minister Andrew Egyapa Mercer has called for increased fuel intervention from the government, suggesting a relief of GH¢5 per litre compared to the current GH¢2. He argues that higher global crude oil prices have significantly increased the state's revenue. Mercer points out that when global oil prices surged to $150 per barrel due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the previous NDC government blamed Akufo-Addo. However, he emphasizes that international oil prices are largely uncontrollable by Ghanaian governments. Mercer sees the current high prices as a \"blessing in disguise\" for Ghana because of increased revenue from crude oil exports. The government had budgeted oil at $76 per barrel, but prices have now reached around $100. This means the state is earning nearly $30 more per barrel than originally planned, according to Mercer. He suggests using this extra revenue to provide greater relief to Ghanaians struggling with high fuel prices, proposing a 5 cedi relief instead of the current 2 cedis. Mercer believes that with the additional income from crude oil, the government is in a better position to expand the current intervention and alleviate the burden on consumers.",
  "summary": "Former Sekondi MP and Deputy Energy Minister, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, has urged government to increase its fuel intervention from GH¢2 to GH¢5 per litre, arguing that higher crude oil prices have given the state significant extra revenue. Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Mercer noted that when the Russia-Ukraine crisis pushed global oil prices to […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}