Executive Director of the African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Ben Boakye, has raised concerns over governance and safety standards in Ghana’s power sector, arguing that weak accountability has contributed to repeated infrastructure failures and system vulnerabilities.
Speaking on Newsfile on JoyNews on Saturday, May 2, he referenced the recent fire incident at the Ghana Grid Company Limited substation near Akosombo, saying the situation should have been prevented with proper planning and modern safety systems.
Mr Boakye also questioned broader institutional practices in the energy sector, arguing that a lack of accountability leads to avoidable inefficiencies and financial losses.
“We need to really look at how people get negligent. Accountability is defective in the energy sector. Basic things don’t get done, and when they don’t, they cost us billions of dollars,” he said.
He further cited recurring power challenges and low voltages in Kumasi, saying earlier warnings about system weaknesses were not adequately addressed.
His comments come after several parts of the country experienced a blackout. Other areas have also complained about intermittent power cuts, which ECG leadership and the President have attributed to upgrades aimed at boosting power supply and stability.
“We tried to pre-empt that situation three, four years back, when we sat and we told GRIDCo engineers that you are stumping political decisions that will come back to hurt the entire power system in the long to medium term.”
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