During an address to the press, Communications and Digitalisation Minister Ursula Owusu-Ekuful was unexpectedly interrupted when the power went out.
The agenda today was primarily focused on shedding light on a new initiative aimed at delivering affordable 5G mobile broadband services across Ghana.
The Ministry also planned to address suspicions regarding the establishment of the company awarded the 5G network rollout contract, which was reportedly set up just one week before receiving the contract.
At the event on Thursday, May 30, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful explained that the company was specifically created for this purpose because there was no existing neutral infrastructure company capable of handling the rollout at that time.
She said the new special purpose vehicle, Next-Gen InfraCo (NGIC), was a collaboration between the government and several partners, including Ascend Digital, K-NET, Radisys, Nokia, and Tech Mahindra, with support from all mobile network operators in Ghana, starting with AT and Telecel.
However, while she was explaining the rationale behind the new partnership, the electricity suddenly went off, cutting off lights, microphones, and speakers in the Information Ministry’s conference room, plunging it into darkness. The outage lasted for about five minutes.
After power was restored, the Minister apologized for the hitch and continued with her address.
The unstable nature of the power supply over the past few months has been a matter of concern for many Ghanaians. Some celebrities, including actress Yvonne Nelson, have planned a demonstration against the situation, which has left residents and businesses in a difficult predicament.
On April 18, 2024, a group called ‘Youth for Asanteman’ staged a demonstration in Kumasi to demand a load-shedding timetable amid recent unannounced power cuts.
The protesters, clad in red and black, called on the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Energy Ministry to ensure stable power supply.
The protest came after President Akufo-Addo commissioned the Kumasi 1 Thermal Power Plant aimed at improving access to power.