Energy sector challenges require collective solutions not blame game – ACEP

Benjamin Boakye, the Executive Director of the African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), has emphasized the need for collaborative action to address the challenges in Ghana’s energy sector, rather than assigning blame.

The World Bank Country Director, Pierre Frank Laporte, accused the then Mahama government of contributing to the current economic difficulties as a result of the Power Purchase Agreements signed under a take-or-pay agreement, which committed Ghana to pay for excess energy it did not need.

“In the case of Ghana, those contracts that have been signed as PPAs are just expensive and the kind of PPAs signed are take or pay. You pay although you do not use it. The fact is that in the past few years, Ghana entered into an agreement at the wrong rate and the wrong price, and it has impacted the debt situation,” Mr Laporte said.

In response to the World Bank Country Director’s accusations, Boakye called for focus on resolving the issues rather than singling out the erstwhile NDC government for blame.

According to Boakye, collective efforts are required to tackle the realities of the current situation and hold both the ECG and politicians accountable for their respective roles.

“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,” Mr Boakye said on the Point of View on Monday, June 5.