Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori Atta has said government has successfully resolved the inconsistent power supply problem in the country.
The Minister said this while presenting the mid-year budget review in Parliament today [Monday].
He however noted that there are some challenges in the energy sector that pose financial risks to the economy as a whole, adding that these challenges should be addressed.
“Mr. Speaker, I am happy to reaffirm that ‘dumsor’ is history, and we are determined to ensure that it remains that way. However, we are facing serious challenges in the energy sector that pose grave financial risks to the whole economy. At the heart of these challenges are the obnoxious take-or-pay contracts signed by the NDC, which obligate us to pay for capacity we do not need.”
“We must urgently address these challenges to protect the hard-earned economic gains we have made in the past two-and-a-half years and continue with our economic growth and jobs agenda to improve the lives of Ghanaians. This Supplementary Budget therefore proposes a number of bold measures to confront the issues to ensure that the energy sector delivers the services required by Ghanaians, while maintaining financial viability.”
The Minister’s comments come months after ACEP and the Minority in Parliament called on government to release a timetable for power outages to enable Ghanaians and businesses plan ahead of time.
Over the past few months, there have been total blackouts in some parts of the country.
Companies within the power distribution chain and government have attributed the current power cuts on technical challenges.
The Minority Spokesperson on Mines and Energy, Adam Mutawakilu had earlier said the recent power outages are a reflection of the financial troubles facing the energy sector due to government’s mismanagement of the sector.
A former Deputy Power Minister, John Jinapor, has also urged the Power Distribution Services (PDS) to promptly pay off its debt owed the Independent Power Producers to forestall any disruptions in power supply.
But the finance minister at his presentation in Parliament said Ghana is no longer at risk of erratic power challenges.
