The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) has expressed deep concern over Ghana’s worsening power crisis, warning that persistent outages are undermining economic activity and public confidence in the energy sector.
In a statement issued on April 27, the policy think tank said households, businesses, and institutions have endured “escalating power outages” for over a month, disrupting livelihoods nationwide.
ACEP attributed the recent deterioration in power supply partly to a fire outbreak at a substation operated by the Ghana Grid Company in Akosombo, which it said has knocked out about 960 megawatts of relatively affordable and dependable generation capacity.
The group noted that the incident has triggered widespread load shedding, further straining an already fragile system.
Concerns Over Communication Gaps
While acknowledging efforts by authorities to communicate outage schedules, ACEP criticised the approach as inconsistent and unreliable.
“Communication has been irregular, inconsistent, and unreliable, with outages frequently extending beyond announced areas,” the statement said, adding that this has intensified public frustration.
The think tank also questioned explanations linking outages to transformer upgrades by the Electricity Company of Ghana, citing past instances where similar claims were later found to be inaccurate following reviews by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission.
Beyond immediate technical issues, ACEP argued that the scale and persistence of the outages point to deeper systemic problems within Ghana’s power sector.
It identified longstanding challenges such as gas supply constraints, inadequate maintenance investment, and planning inefficiencies as key drivers of the crisis.
“The scale, concurrence, and duration of the outages nationwide point to deeper systemic failures,” the statement noted, urging authorities to address these root causes rather than rely solely on short-term fixes.
Call for Long-Term Reforms
ACEP urged the Minister for Energy and Green Transition to prioritise sustainable solutions, cautioning against reactive emergency measures that could create additional financial burdens.
The organisation emphasised the need for improved planning, transparent procurement processes, and stronger institutional accountability across the power value chain.
The think tank also called for a comprehensive investigation into the Akosombo substation fire, describing it as a major incident that raises serious public interest concerns.
“A fire of that scale should not occur where proper safety systems and modern operational standards are in place,” ACEP stated.
It stressed that any investigation must be credible and far-reaching, with clear measures implemented to prevent a recurrence and restore confidence in Ghana’s power infrastructure.
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