Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, the Deputy Minority Leader, has called on the government to be transparent with the public about the current power crisis in Ghana.
Despite promises from the government to resolve the issue, many parts of the country are experiencing power outages.
Mr. Buah’s call for transparency comes after the disconnection of electricity supply to Parliament House and Job 600, the MPs’ office complex, due to a GHc23 million debt on February 29. The interruption lasted nearly three minutes before being restored through a generator by the Electricity Company of Ghana National Taskforce.
In an interview with Citi News, Mr. Buah criticized the government’s handling of the energy sector and called for an acknowledgment of its failure. He stressed the need for strategic investment in power generation to meet growing demand and avoid recurring power crises.
Mr. Buah expressed concern about the reduction in exports to neighboring countries, which affects forex earnings. He called for an open discussion about the ongoing energy crisis and criticized the government for mismanaging the energy sector levy.
He stated, “This government must be very transparent with the people of Ghana. The President, unfortunately, has not been forthright with the people of Ghana… We have ‘Dumsor’ today because we have failed.”
Mr. Buah highlighted the importance of investing in power generation, as failure to do so will lead to recurring crises. He also lamented the impact of the power cuts on parliamentary activities, noting that some parliamentary staff were trapped in an elevator at the Job 600 building.
He concluded by emphasizing the severity of the situation, stating, “We’re shedding the load… There’s a huge load.”