Recent remarks by Senior Presidential Advisor Yaw Osafo-Maafo suggesting that only the Energy Minister can authorize the release of a load-shedding schedule, commonly known as the ‘dumsor' timetable, have been clarified by the Institute of Climate and Environmental Governance (ICEG).

While Osafo-Maafo asserted that the timetable could only be published with the Minister's approval, ICEG highlighted that the law grants regulatory authority to the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) as well.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, April 24, Kwesi Yamoah Abaidoo, Policy Lead at ICEG, emphasized that the PURC has the authority to order the release of the Dumsor Timetable. He cited Section 3 of the PURC Act, which tasks the commission with safeguarding the interests of both consumers and utility service providers, along with empowering the PURC to carry out any other functions incidental to its primary responsibilities.

ICEG underscored the importance of collaboration on energy issues, stating that contrary to the Senior Presidential Advisor's statement, the decision to publish the Dumsor timetable does not solely rest with the Energy Minister. Instead, it requires a coordinated approach involving input from various institutions, including the PURC, ECG, IPGs, and consumer representatives.

The clarification from ICEG comes at a time when Ghanaians are experiencing intermittent power cuts without a published schedule, impacting lives and businesses across the nation.