‘Dumsor’
The Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) has expressed displeasure over the reemergence of the power crisis, popularly known as ‘Dumsor.’
AFAG, in a statement signed by three of its members, Arnold Boateng, Henry Asante and Wesley Owusu, said the recent power outages were part of the mess inherited by the current government.
Prior to the 2016 general elections in December, the NDC government assured Ghanaians that the power crisis had been resolved.
There was constant supply of power during the heated campaign season, however, Ghanaians in certain part of the country have experienced consistent power cuts in recent times.
“The situation is however not surprising, because in the latter part of 2016, many energy experts projected that Ghana was likely to face fluctuating power supply in 2017 because of the expedient short-term tactics the previous government resorted to in addressing this national crisis, the statement indicated,” according to AFAG.
In the last few weeks, several parts of the nation have experienced power cuts in both residential and industrial areas.
“This dreadful power crisis is one of the messes inherited by the current government. This fact must not be downplayed. The immediate-past Energy Minister must tell the Ghanaian taxpayer the whole truth about the situation of the NDC government left the power sector,” it said.
The heavily indebted energy sector, with the net debt of approximately $2.4bn as at December 2016, is a major challenge the new administration would have to surmount to solve this problem.
“The NPP government would have to manage the horrid inheritance as best as possible,” said AFAG.
“The Energy Minister must come out clearly to update us on the current state of the power sector. We challenge the Minister for Energy to give some clear roadmap and timelines in solving this issue.”
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration says it is the process of developing what it terms national master plan for the power sector.
By Melvin Tarlue