Ghanaians in most parts of Ghana have begun experiencing power outages in spite of the operations of the Karpowership and Ameri power ships.
Many businesses have registered their displeasure at the current power crisis, also known as ‘Dumsor,’ citing corruption and inefficiency in the country’s power sector as the factors.
Some parts of the country enjoy six hours of power supply while others experience intermittent electricity supply.
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is said to be preparing a timetable for the load shedding programme.
A cut in power supply from N-Gas to the VRA is said to be responsible for the power distribution glitches.
Power importation
Currently, government is importing 180 megawatts of power from Ivory Coast at a much lower rate.
According to John Jinapor, Deputy Power Minister, the power crisis would have been worse without the importation of cheap power from Ivory Coast.
But instead of finding a solution to the distribution mess, Government has, through the ECG, announced subsidies for customers of the ECG between the 0-50 units bracket.
Consumers within such bracket are to pay Gh34p instead of Gh67p for one unit of power consumed.
Government lies
However, Emmanuel Kyeremateng Agyarko, MP for West Ayawaso Wuogon, has hit hard at government for lying to Ghanaians about the current situation in the country.
Speaking to Atinka Fm recently, he said the power crisis was not about installed capacity, but lack of funds to resolve the issues.
“After bringing Karpower and Ameri power ships, with a total capacity of about 500 MW, the challenges have not ceased. So what has Ghanaians done to deserve this? We have been in dumsor for four years; the NDC government has not been able to find solutions to the power crisis except introduce an emergency power situation.
The problem is not with the lack of equipment, it is with the fuel (light crude or gas). Government cannot afford the cost.”
Tax imposition spree
Mr Agyarko said the NDC government was only interested in imposing taxes of Ghanaians because “they cannot think outside the box.”
“In the era of the NPP, the price of fuel rose to $147 per barrel and dropped but the NDC government told Ghanaians that the NPP government was wicked and had no sympathy.
“In the last 15 years, this year recorded the lowest price in oil prices at the world market at $28 per barrel. Even at that, the price locally was still rising.”
Recently, government indicated its intention to raise a bond of about $2 billion to pay banks.
Also, government recently reported it had paid GH¢200 million to settle part of its indebtedness to the ECG.
By Cephas Larbi
cephrok@yahoo.com