Residents of the Ashanti Region are mounting pressure on authorities to resolve the persistent power supply challenges that have disrupted businesses and daily activities.
Many affected individuals say the erratic power supply is fast becoming unbearable, with some calling for a load-shedding timetable to help them plan.
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has attributed the unstable power supply to technical challenges at the Anwomaso Bulk Supply Point.
However, residents argue that the situation has persisted for weeks without a clear resolution. Business owners, particularly those in Kumasi, say the outages have led to losses and increased operational costs.
“I run a cold store, and the power outages are making it difficult to keep my stock fresh. I’ve had to spend more on fuel for my generator, which is affecting my business,” lamented Ama Asaa, a trader at Adum.
A resident, Kwame Asante, expressed frustration, saying, “We don’t just need explanations – we need solutions. If there’s a problem, they should fix it. We can’t keep living like this.”
The growing complaints over the unstable power situation have compelled the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, to visit the region and engage key stakeholders in the power sector to find solutions to the challenge.
In a similar meeting the Ashanti Regional Minister Dr Frank Amoakohene is calling for an urgent intervention to resolve the power crisis.
“For some few months now, we have been having power outages. Others have blamed it on sabotage, and others have blamed it on a lot of reasons.
“Sunday, March 16, was epic, it [dumsor] was almost all over the districts and municipalities, so, I have had a lot of complaints from most of the communities. We believe that you are in to solve problems in the energy sector,” he stated.
Energy Minister John Jinapor attributed the situation to what he described as a weak power sector inherited by the current administration.
He, however, outlined several measures aimed at addressing the challenge and improving power supply in the region.
“Ashanti region peculiarly has a major problem with power supply, it’s not just the supply of the power into the grid but also evacuating the power and distributing it. GRIDCo is injecting some major transformers to stabilise the power supply.
“ECG is also doing some major works, and we expect that the power supply situation in Kumasi and its environs and Ashanti Region in general should see significant improvements,” he stated.
