Senior Presidential Advisor Nana Yaw Osafo-Maafo has revealed that only the Energy Minister, Dr. Opoku Prempeh, known as Napo, has the authority to issue a load-shedding timetable.
Amidst Ghana’s ongoing power supply challenges, Osafo-Maafo emphasized that such decisions fall under the minister’s jurisdiction due to his role in overseeing the energy sector.
Highlighting the minister’s exclusive jurisdiction over the matter, Osafo-Maafo emphasized that only Napo, who oversees the energy generation ecosystem, possesses the power to issue such a directive.
He affirmed that although load-shedding schedules are feasible, they necessitate Napo’s command due to his oversight of power generation and distribution.
“To publish the rationing of power, nobody can do it except the Minister of Energy because he is overseeing the generation and they [ECG] are looking at the utilization. So, they can look at it and say that in this particular area, this is how it should be done,” Osafo-Maafo stated during a forum on open government partnerships and construction sector transparency in Accra.
The sector minister recently dismissed public calls for a load-shedding timetable, asserting that such demands were baseless and unsubstantiated.
In recent months, Ghana has faced erratic power supply, causing significant disruptions to businesses and citizens’ daily lives.
The resurgence of power outages, commonly referred to as ‘dumsor’, has raised concerns among the populace. The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has called for a timetable from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), a demand that has been met with resistance.
Despite mounting pressure, government officials maintain that the current outages do not constitute ‘dumsor’ and argue against the necessity of a published timetable.
The issue escalated when Energy Minister Matthew Opoku Prempeh challenged those advocating for a timetable to create one themselves, further fueling public frustration.