The Executive Director of the African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Benjamin Boakye, has stated that the problem in Ghana’s energy sector is not one to play politics with.
According to him, the various stakeholders in the energy sector must take responsibility for their actions and forge to ensure that the crisis is resolved.
His comments come after the World Bank Director’s claim that the energy sector contributes largely to the country’s increasing debt.
Ben Boakye said: “There’s a current problem that we have to face and there are people in charge of fixing and managing the power system. How does ECG’s 50 percent under recovery happen, it is not in the political ballroom, it is the reality that we have to hold ECG accountable and hold the politicians who interfere, accountable.
“Let’s make sure that when they are given the power to sell, they are able to sell the power and recover their money…We can’t be discussing what the politician should have done, whether it is expensive or not, PURC has priced that to a tariff, and therefore when I pay for my bill at the price set by PURC everybody else has to pay. So those who are stealing the power we need to find ways to stop them,” Boakye was quoted by citinewsroom.com.
Also, the President of policy think tank, IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has stated that the World Bank is actively involved in Ghana’s energy sector recovery programme, therefore, the Bank’s statement about a chunk of the country’s debt emanating from that sector is questionable.
In a post on June 5, 2023, he wrote “It is true that some take or pay power contracts signed by the NDC were very expensive. The current government set up committees to review them. However, the terms of these contracts were extended.
“In effect, as ACEP's Ben Boakye puts it, the same power plants the World Bank director complains about have been extended to long-term agreements without caution from the Bank".
The World Bank in Ghana has been a very active financial supporter of Ghana's Energy Sector Recovery Programme for the past four years. So, there you are,” he added.
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Ben Boakye is Executive Director for ACEP