By Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, has debunked claims that the three-week-old John Dramani Mahama-led government intends to sell the nation’s power distributor, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
According to Mr. Jinapor, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) led administration’s goal is not to sell ECG but to involve the private sector in its management.
President John Dramani Mahama indicated on January 8, 2025, that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) could be privatized to address inefficiencies in the country’s power distribution system.
The President believes that involving the private sector in managing ECG could help resolve longstanding challenges, including operational inefficiencies, financial mismanagement, and inadequate service delivery.
President Mahama made the hint when he met with a delegation from the World Bank.
The president noted that privatization might form part of a broader strategy to modernize and enhance the performance of the energy sector.
But a cross-section of the general public especially some members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), alleged President Mahama’s intention to involve private participation in the management of the country’s power distributor means selling off ECG,
Reacting to this allegation, during the inauguration of a seven-member technical committee, the Energy Minister explained the importance of enhancing efficiency and service delivery while ensuring significant local participation.
“Let me assure the nation that, we have not decided to sell ECG, ours is to ensure that we get the private sector involved and we also want to emphasize local participation.
We want this to be done in a transparent, effective, and responsible way. The committee is supposed to consult all stakeholders including the workers, staff, Unions, consumers, and those who matter.
We have told them to complete all these exercises within one month. We want a very competitive and transparent process so that we can turn the sector around. The energy sector is bleeding and if nothing is done in the shortest possible time, the sector will collapse,” he stated.
The newly inaugurated committee has been tasked with developing a comprehensive privatization plan for ECG, focusing on transparency and inclusivity, to help reform the state-owned power distributor.
