The Ghana Progressive Hotels Association (GHAPROHA) has expressed serious concerns over the high cost of utility services, saying the situation is negatively affecting the operations and sustainability of hotels across the country.

The association has therefore appealed to the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to prevail on the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Ghana Water Company to improve service delivery and ensure fairness in billing.

Mr Emmanuel Geadda Asando, the National President of GHAPROHA, speaking at the association’s maiden 2026 meeting, said unreliable and expensive utility services were putting immense pressure on players in the hospitality industry.

Mr Asando noted that the persistent poor water supply situation within the Tema Metropolis had become a major challenge for hoteliers, affecting service delivery and increasing operational costs.

He stressed that the government must ensure that utility service providers offered value for money, adding that many hotels were being slapped with huge electricity and water bills that did not justify the quality of services rendered.

According to him, some hoteliers were forced to rely on alternative sources such as water tankers and generators, further escalating their cost of doing business.

Mr Asando further lamented that aside from utility challenges, hoteliers were also grappling with numerous levies, fees and rates imposed by various state agencies, a situation he described as burdensome and unsustainable.

He acknowledged the government’s decision to scrap the COVID-19 Levy, saying, however, that other existing charges continued to take a serious toll on businesses in the hospitality sector.

He warned that if these challenges were not addressed, they could negatively affect tourism growth and investment prospects in the country, as the hospitality industry remained a key pillar of Ghana’s tourism value chain.

Mr Asando called for stronger engagement between government, regulatory bodies and industry players to find lasting solutions that would promote business growth while protecting consumers.

The meeting brought together hotel owners and managers within the Tema area to deliberate on challenges confronting the industry and to chart a way forward for the association in 2026.