The Minority Caucus in Parliament has dismissed the notion that the privatisation of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) would resolve the ongoing power outages in the country. According to the Caucus, the recent resurgence of ‘dumsor' is primarily due to the government's failure to settle its substantial debts owed to Independent Power Producers.
Dr. Rashid Pelpuo, a Member of the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, emphasized that the root cause of the current power challenges lies in the government's mismanagement of the energy sector. He highlighted the government's inability to pay the private sector entities responsible for generating electricity, including Independent Power Producers and ECG itself.
Dr. Pelpuo pointed out that the power sector has been privately driven for some time, and the issue at hand is not whether ECG should be privatised but rather the government's failure to fulfil its financial obligations. He criticized the government's handling of the power sector, attributing the current crisis to governmental irresponsibility and poor management practices.
In essence, the Minority Caucus contends that the solution to the power crisis lies not in privatisation but in addressing the systemic governance issues affecting the energy sector and ensuring timely payments to power producers.
