Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has increased his criticism of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), stating that the Mahama administration’s flagship initiative for a 24-hour economy can only be fully implemented after the government addresses the significant and costly issues inherited in the energy sector.
During the concluding session of the 2026 Budget debate on Thursday, Hon. Ayariga stated that the NPP, led by Nana Akufo-Addo and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, left behind a chaotic energy infrastructure characterized by criminal negligence, inflated contracts, unpaid bills, and deliberate policy sabotage. These issues made it impossible for Ghana to maintain a consistent, round-the-clock production cycle.
He pointed to the collapse of the Millennium Challenge Account Energy Compact II as one of the most severe failures, arguing that Ghana’s loss of $190 million under the failed Power Distribution Services (PDS) concession is one of the worst governance blunders in the Fourth Republic.
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Ayariga explained that the PDS arrangement, which relied on forged payment guarantees, further destabilized the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and halted essential reforms.
He also referenced findings from the ECG Container Holdup Investigations Report, which revealed GH¢909 million in losses due to negligence, GH¢159 million paid in questionable clearing contracts, and additional millions tied up in abandoned equipment.
According to Ayariga, the NPP’s institutional capture and reckless procurement practices nearly led to the collapse of the ECG and severely weakened Ghana’s productive capacity.
The Majority Leader emphasised that the new government’s turnaround strategy, including aggressive revenue recovery, reduction of administrative waste, renegotiation of loss-making power purchase agreements and improved liquidity, is already restoring confidence in the energy sector.
According to him, revenue mobilisation at ECG has reached historic record levels, and the government has cleared over US$300 million in arrears owed to Independent Power Producers.
He added that the construction of a second gas processing plant will save Ghana more than US$450 million annually in fuel costs and boost power reliability for industries that will form the backbone of the 24-hour economy.
24-hour economy
Ayariga argued that President Mahama’s 24-hour economy is not a political chorus, as alleged by the opposition, but an economic transformation blueprint anchored on energy reliability, job creation, and industrial competitiveness.
“The 24-hour economy is a serious national policy, not political noise,” Ayariga insisted. “We will run it — and run it well — but first, we must clean the mess you left behind. You cannot break the system and then ask us to switch it on overnight.”
He maintained that the government is rebuilding the energy sector to make the 24-hour economy sustainable, scalable and beneficial to workers, businesses and foreign investors.