Professor Baffour Agyemang-Duah, a renowned government expert and Co-founder of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has bemoaned the deafening silence of President Akufo-Addo over the country’s ongoing power crisis.
The former United Nations Senior Governance Advisor commenting on the vexed matter emphasized the crucial role of leadership and governmental responsiveness in addressing the pressing issues confronting the country.
“So far, I think we haven’t seen much transparency on this matter. We haven’t seen a real concern expressed by the government, or the President as well on this matter, and therefore the whole nation seems to be just bemoaning, and lamenting the crisis without any serious response from the government”.
Professor Baffour Agyemang Duah
Professor Agyemang-Duah particularly lamented the absence of proactive measures from the ruling New Patriotic Party administration, particularly in light of the widespread frustration among citizens and the escalating concerns expressed across various media platforms, including social media.
Drawing parallels to the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, where regular briefings and decisive actions were taken, Professor Agyemang-Duah questioned the lack of similar urgency and transparency in addressing the ongoing power crisis.
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Furthermore, Professor Agyemang Duah expressed disappointment over the ongoing feud between key players in the energy sector, including the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), and the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC).
He thus emphasized the need for presidential intervention to resolve these conflicts and provide assurance to the country that effective measures are being implemented to rectify the situation.
Expressing disappointment in the perceived lack of transparency and genuine concern from the government, Professor Agyemang-Duah underscored the importance of decisive leadership in navigating the crisis.
He therefore called on President Akufo-Addo to demonstrate leadership by assembling stakeholders in the energy sector and issue clear directives to address the root causes of the country’s ongoing power crisis.
Moreover, the Chief Executive Officer of the John A. Kufour Foundation, Professor Agyemang-Duah urged President Akufo-Addo to prioritize competency in appointing individuals to key ministerial positions.
He expressed the need for President Akufo-Addo to take a keen interest in the management of the country’s energy sector, citing the consequences faced by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for its failure to promptly resolve similar crises during its tenure.
The co-founder of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) concluded his remarks by stressing the growing public frustration resulting from the ongoing power outages and the need for accountability from political leaders.
With citizens grappling with prolonged outages and economic disruptions as a result of the ongoing power outages in the country, Professor Agyemen Duah underscored the urgency of the current government to effectively address the situation and restore confidence in its leadership.
Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Yapei Kusawgu Constituency, Honorable John Abdulai Jinapor, has accused the the ruling New Patriotic Party administration of deliberately concealing crucial information regarding the ongoing power crisis plaguing the country.
The Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Mines and Energy particularly decried the government’s failure to publish timetable for the ongoing power outages in the country despite the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCO) perceived confirmation of an impending daily load shedding of approximately 500MW throughout the week.
Honourable Jinapor expressed deep concern over the lack of transparency in the government’s approach to handling the energy crisis.
He revealed that despite GRIDCO’s acknowledgment of the need for load shedding, the government has allegedly instructed industry players not to release any official timetable outlining the scheduled power outages.
Honorable Jinapor described the government’s refusal to provide a clear and comprehensive load shedding schedule as not only irresponsible but also undermines the ability of businesses and individuals to adequately prepare for disruptions in power supply.
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