Former President, John Dramani Mahama has criticized Energy Minister, Matthew Opoku Prempeh for his dismissal of those requesting a schedule for power outages, branding it as “most disrespectful.”
Mahama’s remarks came in response to Dr. Opoku Prempeh’s statement that individuals seeking a dumsor timetable are harboring malicious intentions towards Ghana and should create their own schedule if they desire one.
“Ask those who want it to bring it if there is [one],” the Manhyia South MP told journalists on Monday, 25 March 2024, at the inauguration of the governing New Patriotic Party’s campaign team in the Ashanti Region.
“I haven’t seen any timetable,” he noted, adding: “The Electricity Company of Ghana says that there’s no timetable coming,” so “why do you want to bring a timetable?”
“For what purpose? Why would somebody wake up and wish for evil and wish bad for the country?” he wondered.
During the inauguration of the governing New Patriotic Party’s campaign team in the Ashanti Region on Monday, March 25, 2024, the Manhyia South MP asserted, “Ask those who want it to bring it if there is [one].”
He emphasized that he hasn’t seen any such timetable and questioned the purpose behind its creation, particularly when the Electricity Company of Ghana has stated that no such schedule is forthcoming.
Expressing concern over the lack of planning due to the erratic power supply, Mahama addressed members of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) during a stakeholder engagement.
He highlighted mismanagement in generating assets and the use of ESLA funds, which were intended to finance debt, as contributing factors to the return of dumsor.
Mahama emphasized the importance of citizens having a schedule to plan effectively and criticized Dr. Opoku Prempeh’s assertion that those seeking a timetable have malicious intentions towards the country. He described this stance as disrespectful to Ghanaians and customers of electricity, emphasizing the necessity of a stable macroeconomic environment for business growth and fiscal consolidation.
“The country has been plunged into darkness. Mismanagement about generating assets and collateralisation of ESLA, which was meant to provide the resources to finance current and legacy debt, has led us back to dumsor. The best government can do is eat a humble pie, take responsibility for the problem and work to address it. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I’m aware that businesses and households cannot plan because of the erratic power situation”.
“While citizens demand a schedule to enable them to plan, which is the least the responsible government should be doing, Energy Minister Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, who was one of the frontline participants of the ‘Dumsor must stop’ campaign while in opposition, is reported to have said, those asking for a load-shedding timetable wish ill for the country, and they should publish their schedule”.
“This is most disrespectful to Ghanaians and the customers of electric power. There is absolutely no doubt that businesses strive in a stable macroeconomic environment where revenue measures are designed to motivate the local production for growth and fiscal consolidation.”