Senior Presidential Advisor, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, has disclosed that only the Minister of Energy has the authority to order the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to publish a load-shedding timetable.
This revelation comes amidst increased calls from the public for a schedule to be released to enable proper planning.
Speaking to TV3’s Duke Mensah-Opoku during a forum on open government partnerships and construction sector transparency in Accra, Osafo-Maafo emphasized that the decision to release a timetable lies solely with the Minister of Energy.
He explained that the Minister is in a position to assess the power generation and utilization data to determine the appropriate schedule for load-shedding.
Meanwhile, Governance Expert Professor Baffuor Agyeman-Duah has criticized the government for the slow pace at which it is addressing the power challenges. He reiterated the importance of issuing a timetable to keep the public informed and enable them to plan effectively.
On the other hand, Richard Ahiagbah, Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), acknowledged the frustration caused by the recent power outages but assured the public that maintenance works by the ECG are almost complete. He reassured Ghanaians that uninterrupted power supply will soon be restored.
In response to criticisms from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ahiagbah pointed out the challenges faced during the ‘dumsor’ era under the previous administration and assured that the current government is working to provide a sustainable solution to the power outages.
