The Economic Policy Advisor to the Vice President, Prof. Sharif Mahmoud Khalid, has described as unfair the growing criticism directed at the current government over Ghana’s ongoing power challenges, arguing that the crisis is deeply rooted in systemic issues inherited from the past.
Speaking in defense of the government’s handling of the power situation, Prof. Khalid pointed to the enormous financial burden on the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), including outstanding debts and a tight budget that leaves little room for meaningful negotiations with Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and service providers.
“I looked at the list of debts ECG has to pay and their budget allocation and there’s no headroom to even negotiate properly. At some point, these service providers are so strained that people begin to suspect sabotage, but it’s not sabotage—it’s just the severity of the challenges we face,” he explained in an interview on JoyNews‘ Newsfile on Saturday, May 17.
He stressed that resolving Ghana’s power crisis is not a task that can be completed overnight, even with the best intentions and resources, adding that the government has shown commitment and transparency in confronting the problem.
“In the past, we were denied access to the full picture—no load-shedding timetables, no public engagement—but today we have a Minister and a President who are tackling the issue head-on five months down the line so to put the blame on the government, I think would be a very unfair,” Prof. Khalid stated.
He praised the Energy Minister for providing regular updates on the situation, including efforts to secure crude oil and the Ministry of Finance’s role in supporting these interventions.
While acknowledging that more needs to be done, Prof. Khalid stressed that the power sector’s problems are systemic, including inefficiencies in power distribution, energy losses, and fragmented revenue collection systems. “ECG is a beast in and of itself,” he noted, underlining the complexity of reforming the sector.
His comment follows Former Board Member of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Ishmael Agyekumhene, who has taken a swipe at Energy Minister John Jinapor over Ghana’s deepening power crisis, urging him to take full responsibility rather than offer repeated excuses.
Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Thursday, May 15, Mr Agyekumhene criticised the Minister for failing to secure adequate liquid fuel supplies nearly four months into his tenure.
“Telling us today that we have only two and a half days of liquid fuel? I could understand if this was immediately after he took office, but he’s had enough time to make arrangements. The Minister should stop giving excuses—it’s long enough for us to have secured the liquid fuel.”
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