Michael Kwasi Aidoo, a member of Ghana’s parliament energy committee, has blamed poor planning and lack of funding for the country’s frequent power outages.
He is calling for an independent review of key infrastructure across the country.
He said there were no early warnings about the recent power disruption linked to the Akosombo Dam, but stressed the need for a nationwide safety check.
“It is necessary that government commissions a national infrastructure audit so we can assess all installations and prevent such occurrences,” he said during an interview today.
Aidoo, who represents Oforikrom and serves on parliament’s energy committee, also rejected claims that engineers are deliberately causing problems. He warned that such accusations could lower morale among technical workers in the sector.
He explained that Ghana has enough power generation capacity, over 5,200 megawatts, but the main challenges are poor planning, maintenance issues, and financial constraints.
“The problem is not capacity. It is planning and the financial challenges within the sector,” he said.
He also questioned how funds from energy levies are being used. He noted that the millions of cedis collected each month could help settle debts owed to independent power producers and improve infrastructure.
The lawmaker is calling for greater transparency and accountability, including a parliamentary investigation into the recent outages to find the root causes and prevent future incidents.
He further warned that politicising the energy sector could drive away investors and affect how efficiently the system operates.
“We are managing the system, not building resilience,” he said.
