Power outages not ‘dumsor’ but part of system upgrade – Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has dismissed concerns that recent power outages signal a return to “dumsor,” insisting the disruptions are part of a planned nationwide upgrade of Ghana’s electricity distribution system.

“I’ll appeal to our people. The outages you are facing are not ‘dumsor.’ It is to enable you to get better quality and stable power,” he said.

The President made the remarks during a visit to the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) as part of his “Resetting Ghana” tour, at a time when public anxiety has been rising over intermittent power cuts in several parts of the country.

According to him, the outages are tied to the replacement of ageing and overstretched infrastructure, particularly transformers that can no longer meet growing demand due to population expansion and urban development.

He disclosed that the government has procured about 2,500 transformers under the first phase of an intervention aimed at strengthening power distribution nationwide.

President Mahama stressed that the exercise is being rolled out in phases and will ultimately improve electricity stability once completed. He also called for better communication with affected communities ahead of planned outages.

Highlighting the broader impact of the programme, he welcomed the increasing role of local industry in the energy sector.

“One of the things I’m happy about is that a lot of these transformers are made in Ghana. It helps multiply the benefits for our country,” he noted.

The President further directed the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and NEDCo to improve their responsiveness to customers, particularly in handling faults and service complaints.

“NEDCo, ECG, we must now improve our customer response time,” he stated.

Providing additional details, the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, said the transformer rollout is already ongoing in areas including Tamale, Accra and Tema, with Kumasi and other regions expected to follow.

He explained that the initiative is designed to ease pressure on overloaded systems, reduce outages caused by equipment failure and improve overall grid reliability.

The Minister indicated that the first phase of the rollout will run for about three months before transitioning into longer-term upgrades.

Government maintains that the intervention forms part of a broader strategy to modernise Ghana’s electricity distribution network and prevent a recurrence of past nationwide power crises.