President John Dramani Mahama, according to myjoyonline.com report, has assured Ghanaians of his government’s unwavering commitment to resolving the energy crisis and preventing a return of the country to the dreadful era of power outages – dumsor.
Speaking at the National Convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission Ghana in Central Region yesterday, which is his first public appearance, President Mahama acknowledged the critical challenges facing the country, particularly in the energy sector.
He, according to the news outlet, assured citizens that his administration was fully committed to addressing these issues head-on. “We are assuming office at a critical time in our nation’s history. Ghana is faced with significant challenges. But that is exactly the reason why you elected us.
“There is a threat of power outages, but my brothers and sisters, don’t despair. You elected us to solve the problems and not to put the blame on anybody else,” President Mahama said and revealed that on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 he convened a stakeholders’ meeting to brainstorm and implement innovative strategies to stabilise the energy supply.
It is undeniable fact that the dreadful ‘dumsor’ is raising its ugly head once again. Over the past three days, most Ghanaians have been sleeping in the darkness due to power outages. In Kumasi, for instance, there were reports yesterday that power was going off and coming on intermittently for hours. Looking at the current weather conditions in some parts of the country, it has become unbearable for some people to sleep at night.
Information in the public domain points to the fact that the situation may get worse soon, as Independent Power Producers (IPPs) do not have enough fuel to power the plants. Apart from this, the West African Gas Pipe Line (WAPCO) has indicated its intention to embark upon routine maintenance of its facilities in the later part of this month.
This means that if the IPPs do not get enough fuel on time before WAPCO shuts down its facilities, the country may be plunged into total darkness, as power generated from Akosombo and Kpong alone cannot power the entire country. This is a serious matter that cannot be wholly blamed on the Mahama government that has just assumed office.
This does not, however, absolve the new government from any blame, should they fail to manage the current situation and allow it to get to crisis level. Whether the problem was caused by the Akufo-Addo government for failing to procure enough fuel or not, it is Mr John Dramani Mahama who is now in the driving seat and he takes the full responsibility for what happens in the power sector.
The Chronicle is, nevertheless, happy that the president has taken full responsibility and is promising to deal with the situation as soon as practicable. This is not the time, in our opinion, for politicians to play blame game. It is rather time for serious work because electricity is the driver of all economic activities in the country.
Industries will start crumbling and workers laid off if the nation cannot be guaranteed stable power supply. This is the more reason why the current government officials should not be seen to be blaming Akufo-Addo for what has happened, but rather focus on the task ahead. Whether it was the Akufo-Addo government that caused it or not, all what Ghanaians want is stable power supply by the Mahama led government, and he dares not fail them.
