Ghana braces for three weeks of power cuts

Power cuts are expected to last at least another three weeks in parts of Ghana due to a shortage of supplies from Nigeria.

A statement from the state energy company said a temporary shutdown of maintenance work at an unnamed Nigerian gas supplier was to blame.

Ghanaians have endured years of regular power cuts and even have their own nickname – “dumsor” – which means “on and off” in the Akan language.

Energy demand has increased steadily over the past two decades, in part due to rapid urbanization and population growth.

To close the deficit, the Ghanaian government will have to fork out around $400 million (£315 million) to buy gas and liquid fuel for power plants.

Rising debt may be behind the energy shortages that began earlier this year.

The state-owned energy company – the Electricity Company of Ghana – owes about $1.2 billion to private energy producers, which also include Nigerian suppliers.

Last July, private suppliers threatened to shut down operations due to late payments.

People in Togo and Benin also suffer from gas shortages, according to information in a statement from the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo).

“The current situation is completely beyond WAPCo’s control,” the company added.

Public outrage has increased in recent days. In response, the Ghana Electricity Company said on Thursday in a joint statement with the Ghana Grid Company:

“We want to assure the public that we are collaborating with other stakeholders… to ensure the minimal impact of reduced gas supplies on consumers.”

To distribute available supplies as efficiently as possible across Ghana, they say they will undertake load shedding. The two companies had previously disagreed over who would be responsible for providing such a schedule.

Companies committed to managing disruptions effectively to ensure that essential services were not interrupted during the period of reduced gas supply.

It happens just two months after the President Nana Akufo-Addo reduced electricity exports to Togo, Burkina Faso and Benin following supply challenges.

Companies committed to managing disruptions effectively to ensure that essential services were not interrupted during the period of reduced gas supply.

It comes just two months after President Nana Akufo-Addo restricted electricity exports to Togo, Burkina Faso and Benin, following supply challenges.

In recent years, energy shortages have worsened as the country faces its worst economic crisis in a decade.

Ghana, one of the world’s largest producers of gold and cocoa, has become heavily dependent on gas as its main source of energy for electricity production in recent years.

The country obtains much of its electricity from hydro and thermal sources, but these are often poorly maintained.

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