The Minority in Parliament is calling for Energy Minister John Jinapor to appear before the full House to brief lawmakers on Ghana’s power sector challenges, insisting that parliamentary oversight is a constitutional duty and cannot be replaced by media briefings or executive press engagements.
Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Energy Committee, Collins Adomako-Mensah, speaking for the NPP Minority, said the Minister must account to Parliament on key issues, including generation capacity, transmission constraints, outstanding debts to Independent Power Producers (IPPs), and the implementation status of the Energy Sector Recovery Programme (ESRP).
“The Minister of Energy must appear before the full House and brief Members on the current state of generation and transmission capacity, the financial obligations outstanding to IPPs, the status of the ESRP, and this government’s credible, costed, and time-bound plan to end dumsor. Parliament’s oversight mandate is not optional. It is constitutional,” he said.
The Minority argues that while the Energy Minister has held several press briefings following the April 23, 2026, fire at the GRIDCo Akosombo substation, such engagements do not meet the threshold of formal accountability to Parliament.
At a Government Accountability Series at the Presidency on April 27, Minister Jinapor reported that two of six affected generating units had been restored, with a third being reconnected and the rest expected back online within the week.
He has also assured the public of ongoing transparency through updates from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Ministry of Information.
But the Minority maintains that the scale of the current energy challenges requires direct parliamentary scrutiny rather than executive-led public communications.
Adomako-Mensah stressed that Parliament’s role in oversight is not discretionary, especially in a crisis affecting national electricity supply and public finances.
He also raised concerns over recent administrative actions taken in the wake of the GRIDCo incident, including the directive for Chief Executive Mark Awuah Baah to step aside and leadership changes within the transmission company. The announcement was made by Information Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu on April 26, with Frank Otchere now acting as head of GRIDCo operations.
The Minority is cautioning that any investigations into public sector officials must be conducted transparently and based on evidence, warning against what it describes as politically motivated scapegoating.
“This government must not sacrifice public servants on the altar of political optics while its own ministers escape accountability,” Adomako-Mensah said.
Parliament is expected to resume shortly, with the Minority indicating it will pursue full legislative scrutiny of the power sector’s operational and financial challenges when the House reconvenes.
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