The government’s co-chair of the transition committee and now Minister for Energy designate, Hon. John Abdulai Jinapor in an interview with Joynews last Tuesday hinted at a looming power crisis because we had limited stock of fuel. He expressed frustration about the outgone government’s failure to procure necessary fuel supplies, leaving the now Mahama administration in a vulnerable position.
This raises a lot of eyebrows as to whether the outgone government was only finding knee-jerk reactions to stabilizing electricity generation given the dire economic situations, although it ensured stable electricity. It also raises questions about whether the government deliberately decided not to make arrangements to restock the depleting reserves because it was leaving office.
Assuming without admitting that Hon. Jinapor’s assertion held water, a sustainable solution ought to be found. If the outcome of the 2024 election were anything to go by (which of course is), Ghanaians believe that President John Mahama and the NDC can better manage the power sector. That case was made very much during the electioneering period. If the management of power was being done unsustainably as a result of pressing economic challenges, measures should be put in place to avert that. Let’s usher into a time where we have excess crude to even cater for emergencies.
Excerpts of President Mahama’s meeting with stakeholders of the energy sector, including independent power producers (IPPs) suggested “privatization at the distribution level”; the same proposal, which was objected to by an NDC opposition and a later termination of the concessionary agreement by the government after a forensic audit. If privatization would indeed reduce losses at that level of the power supply chain and in turn generate expected income targets to keep the lights on, that should be done. Operationalization of new oil and gas wells to augment supply and a revamp of the Tema Oil Refinery to achieve energy self-sufficiency is keen. Aside from these, the government shouldn’t hesitate to implement other bold solutions that would ensure
While we move forward, the potential of green energy must be tapped into. Page 26 of the NDC 2024 manifesto key policies highlights that it will “invest in renewable energy sources to diversity the energy mix and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.” As a climate advocate, the NDC’s plan to venture into renewable energy is laudable.
The “hand-to-mouth” approach in the management of our power sector must be a thing of the past.
By: Emmanuel Swanzy-Baffoe, a civil engineer, political activist, and columnist with a strong interest in infrastructure and mining policy
