The Minority in Parliament has raised serious concerns about the feasibility of President John Dramani Mahama’s proposed 24-hour economy in light of the country’s ongoing power crisis (dumsor).
According to the Caucus, the government’s failure to provide reliable electricity undermines the core premise of the 24-hour economy policy, which depends on continuous power supply for hospitals, factories, and entertainment venues to operate around the clock.
“How can we talk about a 24-hour economy when we can’t even guarantee 24 minutes of uninterrupted power? This isn’t a 24-hour economy—it’s a 24-hour blackout,” they said.
At a press conference on Monday, Ranking Member of Parliament’s Energy Committee, Hon. George Kwame Aboagye (MP for Asene-Akroso-Manso), criticized Energy Minister John Jinapor for what he described as “fear-mongering” and a lack of effective solutions to Ghana’s persistent power outages.
Dumsor
He dismissed the Minister’s recent claim that Ghana had “only 2.6 days of fuel left” as baseless and harmful to the country’s economic reputation, arguing that such statements erode investor confidence.
The Minority touted efforts by the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to stabilize the energy sector after inheriting $2 billion in energy-related debt and costly “take-or-pay” contracts from the NDC in 2017.
Hon. Aboagye insisted the current outages indicate the NDC-led government has lost control and is plunging the country back into a cycle of unreliable power supply.
“The NDC promised to end dumsor, but Ghanaians are now experiencing the same darkness they endured between 2012 and 2016 under Mahama. Consumers are paying 14.75% more for electricity but receiving worse service,” he said.
He warned that the government’s “honeymoon is over,” noting that businesses are collapsing under the weight of unreliable power, with many Ghanaians losing patience.
“The Minister must stop frightening Ghanaians and start fixing the problems. Leadership is about solutions, not excuses. We cannot continue to accept poor performance while paying exorbitant tariffs. The spectre of Dumsor’s return is unacceptable,” he stressed.
The Minority vowed to hold the government accountable and urged the Minister to seek assistance if needed, but cautioned against signing more questionable contracts or making empty promises.
By Osumanu Al-Hassan/thenewsbulletin24.com