Ghanaians may have to brace themselves for ongoing power outages, locally known as “dumsor,” through the end of the year unless urgent action is taken to address deep-rooted issues in the country’s energy sector. That’s the stark prediction from Nana Amoasi VII, Executive Director of the Institute for Energy Security (IES), who sounded the alarm Friday amid reports of widespread blackouts that have exposed vulnerabilities in Ghana’s electrical grid.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on February 21, Amoasi laid the blame squarely on the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), pointing to its inefficiencies, aging infrastructure, and financial woes as key drivers of the crisis. He warned that the country’s power generation capacity is struggling to keep up with demand, a situation worsened by fuel shortages and unplanned maintenance shutdowns that have sidelined power plants.
“Until the ECG fixes its inefficiency, collects enough revenue, and ensures that each participant within the energy sector gets a fair share, we will continue to have this challenge,” Amoasi said, according to citinewsroom.com. He explained that the ripple effects are felt across the system: the transmitter, GRIDCo, lacks funds to upgrade its outdated infrastructure, while both public and private power generators face difficulties securing the resources needed to operate.
The crisis doesn’t stop there. Amoasi highlighted that even the West African Pipeline Company (WAPCo), which supplies natural gas to fuel power plants, is strained, further threatening electricity distribution. “We are in a very uncomfortable state,” he admitted, painting a grim picture of a sector plagued by systemic failures.
For Ghanaians, the return of dumsor—a term that became synonymous with erratic power cuts in previous years—has sparked frustration and raised questions about the government’s ability to deliver reliable electricity. Amoasi’s prognosis is clear: without tackling ECG’s inefficiencies head-on, “we will see dumsor till the end of the year.”
The warning comes as the country grapples with balancing economic growth and energy stability, with citizens and businesses alike bearing the brunt of the outages. For now, Ghana’s energy future hangs in the balance, and all eyes are on whether authorities can muster the political and financial will to turn the tide.