Solving the power challenges: No partisanship needed

One of the wishes of all Ghanaians is that the government finds a lasting solution to the country’s power generation challenges.

Most Ghanaians have suffered one way or another due to erratic power supply in the past and currently have challenges with high and inconsistent electricity bills, which have been blamed on the billing system being employed by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

It is as a result of this that the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) ordered the ECG to suspend the use of its new billing system which had been found to be problematic and which had resulted in the over-billing of many electricity consumers.

Indeed, following that, President John Mahama announced that a new billing system was in the offing and would become operational on July 1, 2016, which coincides with the day Ghana would be marking its attainment of Republican status.

The Daily Graphic finds nothing wrong with the President assuring the public that the burden placed on them due to a faulty billing mechanism would be removed soon, especially after residents in and around Teshie-Nungua, a suburb of Accra, had gone on a demonstration to register their displeasure with the high tariffs.

However, what we see as a disturbing trend is the failure of the government to communicate to the public the real state of affairs concerning the country’s power generation challenges.

Everyone knows that the country has some challenges with its generation mix, the reason we have had to depend on power barges to augment the power currently being produced for households, businesses and industry.

What is missing is the actual situation on the ground as to how much power we are producing currently, from which sources, where we are falling short and the reasons accounting for that.

Many Ghanaians have been left in the dark and, instead, we find government appointees, spokespersons, as well as politicians, putting a spin on the situation to, as it were, make it look like the power challenges can be resolved that easily.

The Daily Graphic believes that making the real situation known to all Ghanaians is the way to go, as it will make the public appreciate the situation and adapt to the situation, find alternative sources of power or be ready to pay more for it if it has become more expensive to generate power because we are, for instance, using a generation mix that relies more on thermal energy than hydro.

As is often said, one person is not the repository of knowledge. Therefore, we believe that by communicating the challenges clearly to the populace, the government will, indirectly, be extending a hand to experts other than the technocrats at the Power Ministry, who can help the country come out of its challenges.

We believe that the power problem affects all and must not, in any way, be politicised. We also urge the government to accept the assistance offered by experts in the power sector without recourse to their political leanings, otherwise we will not make any headway.