The Minority Caucus in Parliament has issued a scathing critique of the government’s handling of the power sector, accusing Energy Minister John Jinapor of fear-mongering and ineffective leadership.
The Caucus rebuked the Minister for his recent comments suggesting that Ghana had only “2.6 days of fuel left,” describing them as “baseless” and “economically damaging.”
“Such remarks create an atmosphere of uncertainty and instability detrimental to investor confidence. The Minister must stop frightening Ghanaians and start fixing the problems,” the Minority charged.
Addressing the media in Parliament on Monday, May 18, the Ranking Member of the Energy Committee and Member of Parliament for Asene Manso Akroso, George Kwame Aboagye, stressed that the recent outages are reminiscent of the 2012–2016 “dumsor” era.
He challenged the credibility of the Minister’s public statements, citing past claims such as the infamous “5 hours of fuel” warning made during a presidential swearing-in ceremony, which was later retracted.
“This pattern of panic-then-retreat communication is unacceptable. Ghanaians deserve clarity and competence, not confusion. Stop the talking, fix the lights – before the 24-hour economy becomes a 24-hour blackout,” he stressed.
The Caucus acknowledged that the energy sector faced challenges before the then New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration assumed power but emphasized that the government took steps to address them.
“When the NPP took over in 2017, we inherited over $2 billion in energy sector debt and a series of expensive take-or-pay contracts—but we took action, not excuses,” Aboagye asserted.
The Ranking Member highlighted key investments the NPP made between 2017 and 2024, including an additional 1,600 MW in generation capacity and several major transmission projects.
The Minority also questioned the feasibility of President Mahama’s flagship ‘24-hour economy’ policy amidst persistent outages.
He asked how hospitals, factories, and entertainment hubs are expected to operate 24 hours if they cannot rely on stable electricity. “This isn’t a 24-hour economy—it’s a 24-hour blackout,” he said.
The Minority outlined a seven-point action plan urging the government to:
1. Resolve fuel supply issues for Independent Power Producers (IPPs);
2. Renegotiate take-or-pay contracts;
3. Improve revenue collection at ECG and NEDCO;
4. Enforce the Cash Waterfall Mechanism;
5. Diversify the energy mix with renewables and domestic gas;
6. Encourage industrial off-peak consumption; and
7. Accelerate smart metering to curb power theft.
The Caucus emphasized that any further increases in electricity tariffs must correspond with improved service delivery.
“Ghanaians have already endured a 14.75% increase in electricity tariffs this year. We cannot accept poor performance while paying exorbitant prices.”
“The patience of the Ghanaian people is wearing thin. Businesses are collapsing. Dumsor is slowing down the economy. The honeymoon is over. Enough is enough,” they warned.
