Communication Specialist at the Ministry of Energy, Kofi Abrefa Afena, has revealed that Ghana will not return to the days of ‘Dumsor’, where load shedding was rife in the country.

Mr Afena indicated that there will not be a repeat of a power outage crisis which the country experienced under previous government. Reacting to a recent comment by Dr. Kwabena Donkor, a former Minister of Power which suggests that ‘dumsor’ will return if urgent steps are not taken, he noted that the statement by the former Power Minister sought to send some “undue shivers down the spine” of Ghanaians.

“For us, it is attempted to cause some fear and panic among Ghanaians. So, we, by this statement, seek to set the record straight and provide clarity that Ghana will never return to the dark days of ‘Dumsor’. Indeed, what happened during the John Mahama era, where we had ‘Dumsor’ – Ghana reeling under power crisis is indeed a blot in the history of our republic and Ghanaians do not in any way want to go back. So, we sought to indicate that it is nothing of that sort. We are really on the ground and we are determined to ensure that the lights are on and we will keep the nation moving”.
Kofi Abrefa Afena

Without minicing words, Mr Afena expressed that the “record” shows that it is during the administration of President Akufo-Addo that ‘Dumsor’ was finally “banned in the dictionary”. Albeit he concerted to the fact that the erstwhile Mahama administration did its best in the power sector, the current administration has taken it up a notch.

“Government is continuum. We are not saying that they didn’t do anything. If indeed they did much, why was Ghana reeling under power crisis? Because what we are seeking to do is to put out a very incontrovertible fact which is that, ‘Dumsor’ under John Mahama was caused by three main problems”.
Kofi Abrefa Afena

Mr Afena posited that some of the problems in the power sector which bedevilled Mr Mahama’s administration included “poor hydrology due to over-drafting of hydro dams, inadequate supply to thermal plants” and financial constraints. However, he expressed that the previous administration will always “dispute that fact” anytime talks on their “financial challenges” come up.

“But time without number, it has proven that indeed, it is part of the reasons why Ghana was reeling in such power crisis. So, what we have done is to institute what we call a cash fall mechanism. In fact, this cash fall mechanism allows for liquidity among the actors in our power sector which will ensure the reduction of inter-utility indebtedness”.
Kofi Abrefa Afena

Ministry of Energy debunks claims of imminent ‘Dumsor’

Contained in a press statement dated April 7, 2022, issued by the Public Affairs Unit of the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry debunked assertions made by Dr. Kwabena Donkor, a former Minister of the sector on the return of “dumsor” in the country.

The Ministry noted that in line with its projected demand and the “prudent management” of the energy sector, it is confident that there is no way that this country will go back to the days of ‘dumsor’.

“As a nation, we should take prudent steps so as to avoid the unnecessary take-or-pay contracts that are draining our coffers as a nation, all in the name of adding on to our generation mix”.
Ministry of Energy

The statement emphasized that the claim by Dr Donkor that the NPP government has not added significantly to the energy generation capacity cannot be supported by the available facts. Government, it noted, is of the view that, there must be “prudent addition to the generation capacity in order not to get the country into over-capacity and its associated issues”.

“As we speak, the total generation capacity added by this government is 421MW. This brings Ghana’s total installed capacity to 5358.50MW, against the backdrop of current peak demand of 3,469MW which was recorded on March 18, 2022. So, we are managing the situation better”.
Ministry of Energy