Patricia Appiagyei
The Minority in Parliament has launched a blistering attack on the government over the return of persistent power outages, economic hardship, alleged abuse of state power and what it describes as growing governance failures, demanding urgent parliamentary investigations into several national issues.
Delivering a statement at the opening of the second meeting of the second session of the Ninth Parliament on behalf of the Minority Leader, the Deputy Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Asokwa, Patricia Appiagyei, accused the government of failing to address worsening conditions confronting Ghanaians.
Central to the Minority’s concerns was the return of “dumsor,” which Ms. Appiagyei said had once again plunged homes and businesses into uncertainty despite government promises to end the crisis.
“Communities across this country are once again enduring prolonged, unpredictable power cuts. Businesses are haemorrhaging money, hospitals are under strain, children are studying by candlelight in a country that generates its own electricity,” she stated.
According to her, the economic cost of the outages is estimated at about $320 million annually in lost productivity.
The Minority blamed the situation on the government’s failure to respond adequately to warning signs, including the recent fire at the Akosombo Power Control Centre and developments at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
Ms. Appiagyei further accused the government of suppressing free expression by allegedly deploying security agencies against opposition supporters and citizens who publicly complained about the return of power outages.
She cited the arrest of a New Patriotic Party (NPP) organiser over a social media post about “dumsor,” describing the action as an assault on democratic freedoms and constitutional rights.
The Minority also raised concerns about the financial health of the Bank of Ghana, claiming the central bank’s negative equity position had worsened significantly following reported losses amounting to more than GH¢34 billion.
According to Ms. Appiagyei, the Finance and Economic Committees of Parliament must urgently summon the Governor of the Bank of Ghana to explain the institution’s recapitalisation strategy and measures being taken to restore stability.
On international affairs, the Minority criticised the government’s handling of attacks on Ghanaians abroad, particularly xenophobic violence in South Africa and the killing of Ghanaian tomato traders in Burkina Faso.
She called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to present a comprehensive protection and reintegration framework for Ghanaians living in conflict-prone countries and to regularly brief Parliament on developments.
The Minority also demanded a full parliamentary probe into the award of the Damang Mine lease to Engineers and Planners, a company linked to businessman Ibrahim Mahama, brother of President John Dramani Mahama.
According to Ms. Appiagyei, the transaction raises serious constitutional and conflict-of-interest concerns that Parliament cannot ignore.
She further criticised the organisation of the African Senior Athletics Championships hosted in Accra, describing the event as an “international embarrassment” due to logistical failures, poor accommodation arrangements and operational breakdowns.
The Minority consequently called for the Minister for Youth and Sports to appear before the full House to answer questions over the management of the championship and preparations towards Ghana’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Ms. Appiagyei also alleged that early succession politics within the governing party were distracting ministers from governance and national recovery efforts.
“The people of Ghana deserve governance that is fully at work, fully focused and fully accountable,” she declared.
The Minority demanded immediate action on what it described as the worsening hardship facing Ghanaians, insisting Parliament must use every constitutional tool available to hold the government accountable.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House