The Minister of Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, has issued a strong warning to engineers and managers of the Electricity Company of Ghana against politicising their responsibilities, cautioning that negligence and acts of sabotage within the power sector would not be tolerated.
Addressing four regional managers, 21 district managers and engineers of ECG in the Ashanti Region, Dr Jinapor stressed that workers in the energy sector must remain professional and prioritise national interest above partisan politics.
“Your job is that of an engineer and not a politician. You cannot be a politician. That’s why I say if you want to be a politician, you exit,” the Minister stated.
According to him, persistent challenges in delivering safe, stable and reliable electricity supply had partly been caused by what he described as deliberate negligence by some engineers, a situation he said had negatively affected public confidence in the energy sector.
Managers Told to Improve Service Delivery
Dr Jinapor said his role as sector minister was to enforce discipline, commitment and accountability within the sector to ensure citizens receive quality electricity services.
He noted that power outages not only attract criticism toward government but also create financial losses for ECG through unused electricity that consumers had already paid for.
“You are the face of the ECG. If the managers don’t work well, it tarnishes the image of the company,” he told district managers and officials.
The Minister urged managers to improve operational efficiency and customer response times as electricity demand continues to rise across the country.
New Technology and Equipment for ECG
As part of broader reforms, Dr Jinapor disclosed that the Ministry of Energy and the Energy Commission were establishing a command and control centre to improve monitoring and service delivery through modern technology.
“The main issue is the time of response. The centre is not just for updates, it’s also to track transformers as well,” he explained.
The system is expected to monitor response times, track transformers and improve communication between ECG officials and the public. Managers will also receive new mobile phones linked to the monitoring system to ensure faster reporting and fault response.
In addition, government plans to introduce a dedicated short code and contact line for citizens to directly report electricity-related faults and complaints.
Dr Jinapor further announced plans to supply electronic motorcycles and pickup trucks to district offices to improve mobility and emergency response operations.
The Energy Minister also revealed that several projects were underway to expand electricity generation capacity in the Ashanti Region to meet growing demand. “Very soon we’re going to have over 1000 MW situated here in Kumasi, a strategic location,” he said.
Dr Jinapor concluded by urging ECG workers to remain committed to professionalism and warned against any actions capable of undermining Ghana’s power distribution system.
READ ALSO: Accra-Kumasi Expressway: 51km Cleared as Compensation Payments Begin in June
