Commenting on the alleged instruction to Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) not to reveal the actual cause of the current power situation, Energy expert and lawyer Kwame Jantuah has indicated that it is harmful to withhold information from the public
He stated that the government is facing difficulties in communicating the issue of power outages to the public, mainly because the public has been left out of the loop from the very beginning.
He also pointed out that the least the government could do now is to inform the public about whether the situation is going to worsen or not.
“We are all part and parcel of enjoying electricity. Electricity isn’t a privilege but a right because we pay for it. So if at the beginning they started advising us, telling us exactly what was happening, today it will be easy for them because they can come and say, today we want to shed 500 loads at this time”.
Kwame Jantuah
He further noted that informing the public about the situation will help them plan their day effectively. “So really, I don’t understand the situation where we don’t want to open up and be transparent about this particular issue” he added.
He stated that the current power outage situation is partly due to financial issues, including accrued debts, equipment maintenance, and issues with the Cash Waterfall Mechanism.
Moreover, Mr. Jantuah stated that the Ministry of Finance is facing impractical pressure to provide money to resolve the issue. He called on power sector leaders to step down if they cannot manage sector affairs effectively, to make way for those who can resolve the problem.
“We cannot continue like this. At least give us a time when this will end. If it is in perpetuity, then we know it is in perpetuity so we plan”. – Kwame Jantuah
Personal Interest In Power Sector
Moreover, Mr. Kwame Jantuah drew attention to the fact that the current power crisis is being exacerbated by the actions of certain individuals within the energy sector who have their personal interests at heart.
These vested interests, according to Mr. Jantuah, are contributing significantly to the worsening of the power situation in the country.
He indicated that he had expected the President to use the commissioning of the Kumasi 1 Thermal plant as an opportunity to brief the public on the power challenges in the country.
He stated that the power situation is a national issue that demands the participation and cooperation of all relevant stakeholders.
He urged the government to take immediate action to resolve the problem, urging stakeholders in the energy sector not to politicize the issue.
He indicated that the power situation needs to be addressed promptly to prevent further negative consequences for the country, its economy, and its citizens.
“When NPP came into power in 2017, they didn’t expect dumsor. Look at some of the things they said when they came. It [dumsor then] was a capacity problem and it was sorted because more equipment was brought in. Yours is a financial issue, let the people of Ghana know”.
Kwame Jantuah
According to Mr. Jantuah, the government’s proposal for the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to have a single account for revenue generation will not address the financial challenges currently faced in the power sector.
He stated that this approach would only be effective if the sector has the necessary financial capacity to ensure the proper functioning of the Cash Waterfall Mechanism (CWM).
He noted that while the government seems to have no problem allocating funds to support the African games, its inability to address the critical issue of power shortage is beyond comprehension.
He emphasized that until the power challenges are resolved, the economy and the lives of the citizens will continue to suffer.
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