Consumer advocacy group CUTS International has appealed to the government to step in urgently regarding the pricing of bagged drinking water, cautioning against any effort to enforce a single price across the entire market.
The Director of the West Africa Regional Centre of CUTS International, Appiah Kusi Adomako, called on the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry (MOTAI) and the Attorney General to hold discussions with the National Association of Sachet and Packaged Water Producers (NASPAWAP) to retract any directive that imposes fixed pricing. His plea follows an announcement by NASPAWAP of an increase in sachet water prices, scheduled to take effect from April 6, 2026, due to rising production expenses and global supply constraints.
He cautioned that although state intervention is justified in some cases, especially to prevent market failures like collusion, it must not weaken competition within the sector.
Mr Adomako emphasied that businesses ought to be allowed to set their own prices based on their operational expenses, pointing out that price differences are a natural feature of a competitive market and ultimately serve consumers’ interests.
”Consumers must benefit from competition. Some brands of sachet water can be sold for GHC 10, some for GHC 12. There is no point for the association to suggest prices at which members should retail their products,” he said.
