The IMANI Centre for Policy and Education’s founding president, Franklin Cudjoe, has put forth a daring, open, and citizen-centred plan to revive Ghana’s failing energy industry, calling it superior to the Electricity Company of Ghana’s (ECG) ‘hurried privatisation’.
He voiced his displeasure with the Energy Minister’s tone of helplessness and resignation in a scathing intervention, proposing a practical and collaborative solution under what he refers to as the ‘RESET model’—Reviving the Economy through Stewardship and Ethical Transformation.
Mr. Cudjoe’s thoughts coincide with a period of growing difficulties in the energy sector, marked by frequent power outages, high debt levels, and public annoyance with inefficient electricity delivery.
“True, the previous damaging directors left humongous debts, but I assume he knew all of these and must have had a good practical plan while in opposition. Power is everything – the lifeblood of any economy, even more so, a 24-hour economy.”
Franklin Cudjoe, Founding President of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education
The remark seems to question the government’s widely publicised ambition of transitioning Ghana into a 24-hour economy, without first ensuring the backbone infrastructure—reliable electricity—is stable and accessible.
Significantly, Franklin Cudjoe revealed that he has reconsidered his previous support for private sector participation in ECG.
In what he called a rethink “at least for now,” he cautioned against the knee-jerk tendency to offload public assets to private hands without first exhausting feasible internal reforms.
Inclusive Governance
Instead of fast-tracking privatisation, he is urging a one-and-a-half-year pilot of an open, accountable, and inclusive governance model in the power sector—one grounded in citizen engagement and radical transparency.
Central to his reset proposal is the establishment of a framework of openness and co-creation of a sector-wide vision between the Ministry of Energy and key stakeholders.
This vision would focus on the provision of reliable power in an efficient, cost-sensitive manner, where all relevant actors in the energy value chain—including regulators, service providers, and civil society—would be engaged in defining and driving this vision.
Another key pillar of the reset model is a commitment to open data and radical transparency.
Mr Cudjoe suggested that the Minister of Energy and his chief director lead by example, regularly publishing data and decisions that affect the performance of the power sector.
This openness, he argued, will help rebuild public trust and stimulate innovation in problem-solving.
Citizens’ Participation
To deepen accountability and foster dialogue, Franklin Cudjoe recommended bi-weekly hybrid town halls—both physical and virtual—where issues related to procurement, performance, operational bottlenecks, and monitoring and evaluation are openly discussed.
Here, Mr Cudjoe suggested that any question that cannot be answered immediately would be addressed within a week, and these sessions would be open to all interested citizens.
For him, participation would not be passive, as citizens who tune into these town halls could enrol digitally into a stakeholder group to continue contributing to the evolving vision of the sector.
In a novel approach to feedback and evaluation, Mr Cudjoe proposed a monthly poll among these stakeholders, limited to those who have participated in at least one town hall, to gauge satisfaction, identify emerging concerns, and assess whether the model is yielding meaningful progress.
At his six-month mark, the ministerial team and stakeholders would conduct a collective assessment of achievements, celebrating progress and revising strategies where needed.
“Naturally, this model, we call RESET at IMANI – Revitalising the Economy through Stewardship & Ethical Transformation – will not replace the formal audits and other PFM controls.”
Franklin Cudjoe, Founding President of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education
Rather, the Founding President of the leading policy think-tank indicated that it would invigorate them by infusing a culture of ethical stewardship and bottom-up oversight.
Mr. Cudjoe’s proposal coincides with escalating discussions about the long-term sustainability of the ECG, the transparency of Ghana’s energy contracts, and the larger role of private sector players in the provision of public services.
His comments bring a fresh perspective to the national dialogue, emphasising participatory governance and ethical change over technological or profit-driven solutions.
Voices like Franklin Cudjoe’s will probably influence the conversation about what reforms are both acceptable and long-lasting as the government struggles with tough decisions in the energy sector.
Although it is unclear if the Energy Ministry will adopt the reset model, the challenge has now been made public: revitalise the industry through fearless leadership and citizen empowerment rather than resignation.
READ ALSO: President Mahama Lauds Greater Accra’s Support, Vows Bold Reforms
