Ghana’s power crisis was not caused by Akosombo fire – Minority

The Minority in Parliament has intensified pressure on the government of President John Dramani Mahama, demanding swift and decisive intervention to address the persistent power outages affecting several parts of the country.

At a press conference held on Tuesday, April 28, the Member of Parliament for Afigya Kwabre North, Collins Adomako-Mensah, strongly rejected explanations linking the recent power interruptions to the fire outbreak at the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) substation at Akosombo on April 23, 2026.

According to him, the ongoing electricity challenges, popularly referred to as dumsor, are not a recent development and should not be attributed to a single incident.

“I must state plainly and without qualification: Ghana’s power crisis, the dumsor that millions of Ghanaians have been enduring since January 2025, was not caused by any incident at Akosombo,” he said.

He explained that while the fire at the substation may have worsened supply instability in some areas, it does not account for the prolonged and recurring outages recorded across the country over the past year and more.

Mr. Adomako-Mensah argued that the situation reflects deeper structural and managerial challenges within the energy sector, insisting that the government must take full responsibility rather than attributing the crisis to isolated technical faults.

He further cautioned against what he described as attempts to “rewrite the history” of the power situation, stressing that the Minority will continue to hold the government accountable.

“The Mahama government must not be permitted to use this incident as a convenient alibi for a crisis that predates it by more than a year, and the NPP Minority will not allow that cynical rewriting of history to pass unchallenged,” he stated.

The Minority also called for transparency in managing the power sector, including the publication of a clear and reliable load-shedding timetable to help households and businesses plan effectively.

Meanwhile, widespread unannounced power cuts continue to affect parts of the country, disrupting economic activities and daily life. Businesses have raised concerns over rising operational costs, while households complain about the inconvenience and damage to appliances.

Calls are also growing for long-term reforms aimed at stabilising electricity supply, improving infrastructure, and addressing the recurring challenges that have characterised Ghana’s energy sector in recent years.