Ghana will not face power outages again due to progress made by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the Minister of Energy and Green Transition, Mr John Abdulai Jinapor, has assured.
He said ongoing reforms, including the replacement of faulty transformers, new billing systems, and efforts to clean up contracts and procurement processes, had stabilised electricity supply in the country.
“The persistent and erratic power outages that had plagued the country when we assumed office have seen remarkable improvement, you can attest to the fact that we are now experiencing reliable, uninterrupted supply of power,” he told journalists when he took his turn at the Government Accountability Series in Accra yesterday.
He said ECG was working around the clock to improve services, with four teams operating in Accra alone to fix identified problems.
To improve revenue and reduce technical losses, he said ECG had also successfully transitioned to a new billing system known as Zeus and was now operating under strict procurement procedures, which he said had helped cut down waste and improved value for money.
He revealed that 347 supply contracts that failed to deliver had been reviewed, with 202 of them terminated, adding that these contracts were valued at over $227 million.
“I directed full compliance with the cash waterfall mechanism and the opening of a holding account at Ghana Commercial Bank. All that has been done. These efforts have ensured a constant flow of cash to power generators and other sector players,” he added.
According to the Minister, ECG’s monthly revenue had seen a 47.3 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
Touching on the national power situation, Mr Jinapor said the power sector had been burdened with a GH₵18 billion debt and inherited a generation deficit of about 720 megawatts in December 2024.
“Fuel stock was low and Independent Power Producers (IPPs) threatened to shut down due to non-payment, but the government had managed to pay more money to IPPs in the first half of 2025 than was paid in all of 2024,” he said.
On petroleum, the Minister said production had declined from a peak of 71 million barrels in 2019 to 48 million barrels by the end of 2024.
However, he announced that appraisal of the Akoma and Afina discoveries had been completed successfully, with commercial oil discoveries declared.
Mr Jinapor said production was expected to begin soon, which he said would reverse the downward trend.
He also disclosed that gas supply had improved, with Eni Ghana production rising from 245 to 270 million standard cubic feet (MMScf) and Ghana Gas increasing its contribution to 100 MMScf.
He disclosed that a second gas processing plant was in the pipeline, while efforts were being made to bring the Tema Oil Refinery back on stream, with its debts now standing at $517 million.
To support the energy transition agenda, Mr Jinapor said the Ministry had secured $85 million in funding from the African Development Bank and other partners to implement the Ghana Scaling-Up Renewable Energy Programme (SREP).
He said the programme would install 12,000 net-metered solar PV systems, build 35 mini grids for 47 island communities, and supply 1,450 solar systems to off-grid areas.
In addition, he said the government was developing several solar projects, including 200 megawatts of ground-mounted systems and floating solar plants on the Volta Lake and Pwalugu reservoir,
“All floaters for the projects will be manufactured locally to support Ghanaian industry,” he added.
To cut down dependence on grid power, he said 23,500 solar streetlights were being installed across 700 kilometres of roads, which he said would reduce pressure on the grid by as much as 300 megawatts during peak periods.
He said rooftops of schools, clinics and government buildings would also be fitted with solar panels to save cost and promote clean energy use.
BY AGNES OPOKU SARPONG