By D.W.G. Kalani Tharanga, JadeTimes News
Amid gas supply shortages, Ghana faces continued power cuts. Learn how the country is tackling the crisis and the regional impact of the situation.
Ghana is expected to endure power cuts for at least another three weeks due to a shortage of supplies from Nigeria. The state power firm attributed the outages to a temporary shutdown for maintenance at an unnamed Nigerian gas supplier. Ghanaians, who have suffered from years of regular power shortages, even have a nickname for it "dumsor," which means "on and off" in the Akan language.
Power demand in Ghana has steadily increased over the past two decades, driven by rapid urbanization and population growth. To address the shortfall, the government needs to invest around $400 million (£315 million) to purchase gas and liquid fuel for power plants. A growing debt may be exacerbating the power shortages that began early this year. The Electricity Company of Ghana owes about $1.2 billion to private energy producers, including Nigerian suppliers. Last July, these suppliers threatened to halt operations over unpaid arrears.
Regional Impact and Response to the Crisis
The power crisis extends beyond Ghana, with people in Togo and Benin also experiencing gas shortages, as noted by the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo). "The current situation is entirely out of WAPCo’s control," the company stated. Public anger in Ghana has been mounting in recent days. In response, the Electricity Company of Ghana and the Ghana Grid Company issued a joint statement on Thursday, assuring the public of their collaboration with other stakeholders to minimize the impact of the gas supply reduction on consumers.
To manage the limited supplies efficiently, the companies plan to implement load shedding. Previously, there had been disagreements over who was responsible for providing such a schedule. They have now pledged to handle the disruptions effectively to ensure that essential services remain uninterrupted during the period of reduced gas supply.
This crisis comes just two months after President Nana Akufo Addo curtailed electricity exports to Togo, Burkina Faso, and Benin due to supply challenges. The power shortages have worsened in recent years, coinciding with Ghana's worst economic crisis in a decade. Despite being one of the world's largest producers of gold and cocoa, Ghana has become heavily reliant on gas for electricity generation. The country sources much of its electricity from hydro and thermal power, but these facilities are often poorly maintained.