–BY Issah Olegor
President John Dramani Mahama’s arrival in Wa for his “Thank You” tour was marred by an unexpected power outage, popularly known as dumsor, throwing parts of the Upper West Regional capital into darkness and forcing the police to take over traffic control duties manually.
Scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Jubilee Park, the visit forms part of a nationwide tour by the president to express gratitude to supporters and party faithful following recent political developments.
However, what was intended to be a show of strength and appreciation became a glaring reflection of Ghana’s deepening energy crisis.
Police Step In Amid Traffic Chaos
With traffic lights knocked out due to the blackout, officers from the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service were deployed to urgently manage intersections and ensure smooth vehicular movement around Jubilee Park and key routes in Wa.
Eyewitnesses reported scenes of near-chaotic traffic as the city grappled with the blackout just moments before Mahama’s motorcade entered the municipality.
This unexpected development occurred on the same day that Energy and Green Transition Minister John Jinapor addressed Parliament’s Energy Committee in Accra, warning that Ghana was just 2.6 days away from a nationwide blackout if urgent funding was not secured.
The Ministry, he said, requires GH₵1.1 billion to buy liquid fuel to power thermal plants, which are currently running on reserves purchased on credit.
Nation at the Brink of Dumsor
The incident in Wa was not an isolated hiccup. It is part of a broader national crisis that has reignited fears of the dreaded dumsor—a term Ghanaians have come to dread, symbolizing the chronic, rolling blackouts that once crippled the economy.
John Jinapor’s testimony laid bare the fragile state of the country’s energy infrastructure, warning that without swift intervention, the lights could go out for millions of Ghanaians.
Fuel suppliers are reportedly demanding upfront payments before releasing further supplies, and the Finance Ministry, itself constrained by limited fiscal space, has yet to provide the required funding.
“We must prepare for all outcomes,” Jinapor stated grimly.
Ghana’s power sector is bleeding over GH₵2 billion monthly due to poor revenue collection, and state-owned Ghana Water Limited has not paid its electricity bills in more than seven months, owing ECG over GH₵1 billion.
This dire situation has forced the government to explore structural reforms, including the possibility of involving private sector players in ECG’s management to increase efficiency and reduce losses.
Visit Undermined by Power Politics
While the blackout was an inconvenience for Wa residents and Mahama’s delegation, it also exposed the political undertones of Ghana’s energy crisis.
Speaking recently at the Africa CEO Forum in Côte d’Ivoire, President Mahama ruled out a full-scale privatization of ECG, but acknowledged the need for private sector participation to overhaul its metering and billing systems.
The government, he said, has received three proposals from a steering committee studying the matter—ranging from a single national concession model to regional models involving local and international partners.
“Any international company must partner with Ghanaian firms. There must be local participation,” Mahama assured. His remarks aimed to calm public fears after the controversial Power Distribution Services (PDS) deal, which collapsed in 2019 amid allegations of fraud and a faulty financial guarantee.
The PDS scandal, still fresh in the public memory, has made Ghanaians wary of private involvement in strategic utilities.
John Mahama appears determined to avoid a repeat of that episode, emphasizing transparency and local ownership in any future reforms.
Energy Reforms
Beyond short-term fixes, Mahama has also laid out a longer-term vision of phasing out fossil fuels in favor of natural gas and solar power over the next four years.
He cited Ghana’s vast solar potential and the issuance of licenses for large-scale solar farms, many with capacities up to 100 megawatts.
Plans are also underway to promote household solar adoption and mini-grid systems in rural areas.
“With our sunlight advantage, we should be leading Africa in solar,” Mahama noted. “If we continue on this path, we can move entirely to natural gas and solar, and become energy independent.”
