By Ashiadey Dotse
The Director of the Centre for Environmental Management and Sustainable Energy (CHEMSE), Benjamin Nsiah, has attributed Ghana’s recurring power challenges to poor planning, over-politicisation, and the absence of regular system audits in the energy sector.
Speaking in an interview on GTV’s Current Agenda programme on Saturday, May 2, 2026, Mr Nsiah said the country’s failure to conduct periodic assessments of its power infrastructure has left ageing systems unchecked until breakdowns occur.
He explained that many of the challenges in the sector could have been prevented if authorities routinely audited the system to identify faults early and replace obsolete equipment before crises emerge.
According to him, Ghana’s approach has often been reactive rather than preventive, with infrastructure only replaced after failures occur.
“We don’t audit the system regularly, and that is why we are where we are today,” he said.
Mr Nsiah also criticised weak implementation of energy sector plans, noting that although several integrated plans exist among agencies such as the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the Energy Commission and the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, execution remains poor.
He stressed that planning without implementation is ineffective. “Any effective planning must be followed by strong implementation and monitoring. But in Ghana, we plan and fail to implement,” he added.
He further blamed bureaucratic delays and inadequate mobilisation of human and capital resources for worsening the situation, saying many plans remain on paper while the sector continues to struggle.
On electricity expansion, Mr Nsiah cautioned against politicising rural electrification without matching it with adequate transmission infrastructure. He explained that extending power to communities without strengthening the grid only increases demand pressure on already weak systems.
“If you extend electricity without the infrastructure to support it, you create instability. The system becomes overloaded and leads to outages,” he said.
He added that rising demand, driven by urbanisation and increased access to electricity, is now outpacing the country’s generation and transmission capacity, contributing to intermittent power cuts.
Mr Nsiah urged the government to prioritise investment, improve planning discipline, and strengthen communication with the public on power challenges, warning that poor communication worsens public frustration during outages.
He also called for a long-term shift in Ghana’s energy strategy, including investment in nuclear and renewable energy, to ensure stable and affordable power for industrial growth.
His comments come in the wake of a major fire that broke out at the Ghana Grid Company Akosombo Substation on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at about 2:01 p.m. The substation is one of the most critical power transmission centres in Ghana, distributing electricity from the Akosombo Dam to several parts of the country.
Reports indicate that the fire damaged critical control systems and caused a loss of between 720 MW and 1,000 MW of transmission capacity, leading to widespread outages and unstable electricity supply across multiple regions.
Following the incident, the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, directed the Acting Chief Executive Officer of GRIDCo, Ing. Mark Awuah Baah, to step aside pending investigations. The government said the move was to allow for an independent and transparent probe into the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage.
As part of efforts to resolve the situation, engineers from GRIDCo and the Volta River Authority (VRA) worked in 24-hour shifts to repair the damaged systems. During the process, parts of the control room were isolated, while electricity was rerouted through alternative systems to maintain supply.
At the Akosombo Dam, generating units were gradually restored, with two units brought back online initially before additional units were added. Meanwhile, the government has announced plans to replace damaged transformers and strengthen electricity infrastructure nationwide.
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Source:
www.gbcghanaonline.com