The Minority in Parliament has launched a fierce critique of the government’s management of the power sector, accusing Energy Minister John Jinapor of fear-mongering and ineffective leadership in the face of worsening electricity outages.
The Minority rebuked the Minister for recent claims that Ghana had only “2.6 days of fuel left,” describing the statement as “baseless” and “economically damaging.”
“Such remarks create unnecessary panic and weaken investor confidence. The Minister must stop frightening Ghanaians and focus on real solutions,” the Caucus warned.
At a press conference in Parliament on Monday, May 19, Ranking Member of the Energy Committee and MP for Asene Manso Akroso, Hon. George Kwame Aboagye, compared the recent power outages to the infamous 2012–2016 “dumsor” period under the previous NDC administration, stating that history is repeating itself under Mahama’s leadership.
Fear-mongering
Aboagye questioned the credibility of the Energy Minister, referencing a prior claim made at a presidential swearing-in ceremony that the country had only “five hours of fuel”—a statement that was later retracted.
“This panic-then-retreat approach is not governance. Ghanaians need clarity, not confusion and fear-mongering. Stop the talking—fix the lights. Otherwise, the 24-hour economy will remain a 24-hour blackout,” he stated.
The Minority acknowledged the long-standing challenges in the energy sector but highlighted efforts by the previous NPP administration to stabilize it. Aboagye said that when the NPP took office in 2017, it inherited over $2 billion in energy sector debt and several burdensome take-or-pay contracts.
“Despite these setbacks, we acted. Between 2017 and 2024, we added over 1,600 MW in generation capacity and completed critical transmission projects,” he added.
The Minority questioned the viability of President Mahama’s proposed 24-hour economy policy amid ongoing power instability. Aboagye asked how vital sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, and nightlife can operate continuously without a stable power supply.
“This isn’t a 24-hour economy—it’s a 24-hour blackout,” he declared.
The Caucus insisted that any further increases in electricity tariffs must be matched by tangible improvements in service delivery.
“Ghanaians have already endured a 14.75% hike in electricity tariffs this year. We cannot continue to pay more for less,” Aboagye said.
He warned that the patience of the Ghanaian people is wearing thin because businesses are collapsing adding “Dumsor is strangling the economy. The honeymoon is over. Enough is enough.”
To address the deepening crisis, the Minority proposed a seven-point action plan:
- Resolve fuel supply issues for Independent Power Producers (IPPs);
- Renegotiate unsustainable take-or-pay contracts;
- Improve revenue collection at ECG and NEDCO;
- Enforce the Cash Waterfall Mechanism;
- Diversify the energy mix with renewables and domestic gas;
- Promote industrial off-peak energy use;
- Accelerate deployment of smart meters to reduce power theft.
By Osumanu Al-Hassan/thenewsbulletin24.com