The Minority in Parliament has launched a critique of the government’s handling of Ghana’s ongoing power challenges, accusing the administration of mismanaging the sector and attempting to deflect attention from deeper systemic failures.
Addressing a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, April 28, the Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Energy Committee, Collins Adomako-Mensah, argued that the recent fire at the Akosombo Power Control Centre should not be used as the primary explanation for persistent outages across the country.
He insisted that the electricity disruptions, widely referred to as “dumsor”, had been ongoing since early 2025 and predated the April 23 incident, which affected operations at the Ghana Grid Company substation at Akosombo.
“I must state plainly and without qualification: Ghana’s power crisis, the dumsor that millions of Ghanaians have been enduring since January 2025, was not caused by any incident at Akosombo. It was caused by this government,” he said.
According to him, while the substation fire may have worsened supply constraints in the short term, it does not account for what he described as prolonged and recurring outages experienced nationwide over several months.
The Minority further criticised recent actions taken by authorities, including the directive for the GRIDCo Chief Executive Officer to step aside and changes within the Electricity Company of Ghana, dismissing them as superficial measures.
“The decision to ask the GRIDCo CEO to step aside and to reshuffle ECG’s Ashanti Regional leadership may generate headlines. It will not generate electricity,” Mr Adomako-Mensah stated.
He argued that the challenges in the power sector are rooted in financial constraints, infrastructure gaps and managerial inefficiencies rather than generation capacity, noting that Ghana’s installed capacity exceeds peak demand.
The caucus also raised concerns about transparency in the management of the energy sector, calling for an independent audit of the GH¢1 per litre levy on fuel introduced to support power generation.
“How much has been collected? Into which accounts? What projects have been funded? What is the balance?” he questioned.
The Minority maintained that outstanding debts to Independent Power Producers and fuel suppliers remain a major threat to stability in the sector, disputing claims that the obligations had been cleared.
It further called on the government to implement the Energy Sector Recovery Programme with clear timelines, publish a binding payment plan for arrears owed to power producers, and commission a nationwide audit of electricity infrastructure.
The group also demanded that the Minister for Energy and Green Transition provide a comprehensive briefing to Parliament on generation capacity, sector debts and a clear roadmap to end the outages.
The criticism comes amid growing public concern over erratic power supply in several parts of the country, with businesses and households reporting unannounced outages in recent weeks.
The Minority vowed to pursue sustained parliamentary scrutiny of the sector, insisting that the government must be held accountable for what it described as a worsening crisis affecting livelihoods and economic activity.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh