John Jinapor, the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Mines and Energy Committee, says the government must be candid with Ghanaians regarding the power sector’s problems and avoid being evasive.
On Eyewitness News, the former Deputy Minister of Energy and Petroleum said that Ghanaians must be completely informed of the condition and assured of the government’s attempts to rectify it.
“Someone is withholding something from us, even in this trying time, when people are suffering, there should be transparency and assurance. If electricity is still insufficient in terms of transmission line ability, inform the Ghanaian citizens and reassure us of your plans,” he added.
From the beginning of the year, several areas of Ghana have faced power supply problems, including prolonged blackouts, low current, and sporadic blackouts.
Some residents have recorded losing electrical appliances as a result of the construction.
This has reignited debates regarding the nation reverting to the days of dreaded power outages dubbed ‘dumsor.’
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There have also been many requests for the government and power sector to publish a timetable of scheduled outages to assist citizens in planning, however the government maintains that the outages are being observed as a result of ongoing maintenance work and not attributable to ‘dumsor’ as alleged.
According to John Jinapor, the present problems are mostly due to financial difficulties confronting power transmitters, GRIDCo.
He stated that the issue must be addressed immediately as the country’s power situation begins to deteriorate.
He said that when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) encountered a similar problem during its tenure, it convened a roundtable meeting including all stakeholders in the power sector to brainstorm and create a long-term solution, and therefore recommended that the Akufo-Addo government do the same and come out to speak clearly with the public on the way forward.
“Let us be candid; let us inform the public that we are confronted with a serious problem, that this is the case, and that we are trying to resolve it. I believe that if we do so, there will be greater consistency and certainty,” he said.
Additionally, he said that the government must refrain from providing contradictory details about the situation and ensure that it is candid with Ghanaians about the problems.
SOURCE: ATLFMONLINE