Ghanaians may have to endure persistent power outages, or ‘dumsor,’ unless the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) improves its revenue collection and efficiency, energy expert Nana Amoasi VII has warned.
The Executive Director of the Institute for Energy Security (IES) made these remarks on Eyewitness News on Friday, February 21, 2025, stressing that ECG’s inability to collect enough revenue is crippling the entire energy supply chain, making it difficult for key players like GRIDCo and power generators to maintain operations.
“Until the ECG fixes its inefficiency, collects enough of the revenue, and ensures that each participant within the energy sector gets a fair share of the revenue, we will continue to have this challenge,” Nana Amoasi VII stated.
According to him, ECG’s financial struggles have left GRIDCo unable to invest in its ageing transmission network, while power producers, both public and private, are struggling to sustain operations due to ECG’s failure to settle its debts.
“It will be difficult for the transmitter, GRIDCo, to invest in its ageing infrastructure, and even with ECG and its infrastructure, it is suffering,” he explained. “It will be difficult for the power generator, be it public or private, to generate power because they also need to make some input into the power generation. There will be difficulty for WAPCo to continue supplying the natural gas. So, we are in a very uncomfortable state.”
He cautioned that if these inefficiencies are not addressed, Ghanaians should expect the power supply challenges to persist.
Public Frustration Over Worsening Power Situation
His comments come at a time when Ghanaians are increasingly frustrated by the unstable power supply, with businesses and households struggling to cope with the frequent blackouts. The situation has been worsened by recent incidents, such as the vandalism and theft of critical components from a transformer in Kumasi, which plunged parts of the city’s central business district into darkness.
Additionally, ECG recently reported power outages in Ridge and other areas due to infrastructure failures, further raising concerns over the stability of the national grid.
Government Calls for Patience, Assures Stability
In response to the crisis, Energy Minister John Abdulai Jinapor has called for public patience, assuring that efforts are underway to stabilize the power supply within two weeks.
“We inherited a very weak energy sector. Ghanaians should bear with us as we work to fix the problems permanently,” the Minister said. “The current erratic supply situation should be stable in two weeks’ time.”
However, many industry experts and affected Ghanaians remain skeptical, arguing that these assurances fail to address the deeper financial and operational inefficiencies in ECG.
Karpowership and Other Players Distance Themselves from Blame
Meanwhile, Karpowership Ghana, a major independent power producer, has dismissed claims that its operations are responsible for the recent outages. The company insists it is supplying power at full capacity and that the root cause of the crisis lies elsewhere.
With no clear long-term solution in sight, many fear that ‘dumsor’ could continue indefinitely unless urgent reforms are made to improve revenue collection, settle debts, and upgrade infrastructure within the power sector.
For now, Ghanaians can only brace themselves for more unpredictable power cuts—despite the government’s reassurances.
