Whence cometh our help?
The year is 2014 and the phenomenon of electricity power cuts is still with us. Popularly referred to by Ghanaians as "dumsor", this unfortunate event continues to cut deep into the psyche of the Ghanaian.
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The negative fallouts from it are just too many and harrowing to recount here.
Sometime back, the nation was assured that the ‘dumso’ spectacle will soon be a thing of the past. This was because the agencies in charge of power generation and distribution had asked for tariff increase which they were granted even though grudgingly.
The people were unwilling to pay new tariffs then because for so many years, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and its acolytes had come to the people to seek tariff increases so they can improve on their performance and had unfortunately failed to deliver. Upon persuasion, however, the tariff increase was allowed to go ahead, but have the people not been vindicated?
The promise of quality, and if you like efficiency, has not materialised. We continue to suffer the discomfort of power cuts day in and day out. Many people are besides themselves with anger and disbelief over what is happening. They wonder if the current happenings are a result of the lack of logistics or one of incompetence?
It is all too easy to blame the ECG alone for what is happening. But the problem as it is now is bigger than the ECG. I do not want to believe that the ECG has not made it known to the government that it lacks the capacity to meet the current electricity demands of the country. So, whither is the country drifting?
Considering that we have the Akosombo Hydro Dam, the Kpong Dam, Aboadze Thermal Plant and now the Bui Hydro Plant on line as well as independent power producers such as Asogli, it is hard to take that this country should still be operating a “dumsor” timetable.
The economic fallouts from the inefficient way electricity production is run in this country calls for people to be held responsible to account for their incompetence.
The Public Utility and Regulations Commission (PURC) must come out to explain to Ghanaians why electricity is still being managed the way it is in spite of tariff increases. Last year, tariff on electricity went up as high as 79 per cent, and what do we have to show for it?
We have been told several times of the issue of gas that has to be brought in from Nigeria to augment whatever it is that we get from here. Suffice to say that the gas situation has still not improved which is why we are where we are then whose duty is it to ensure that gas is received in good time so we can be relieved of our misery?
Is it not disheartening to observe that in 2012, the country made a whopping $540 million from oil and yet we are not able to purchase gas, a necessary requirement to power our electricity needs, not to mention that it is a major requirement if we are to progress with our industrialisation drive.
We can only develop as a nation if emphasis is placed on industries, particularly the small scale industries. And this can only be possible when there is constant electricity supply.
The present scenario in which lights go on and off in such an erratic manner can only spell doom.
Currently, many companies are left with no option than to downsize the number of staff because they cannot break even.
The President's call on Ghanaians to patronise made-in-Ghana goods can only become a reality if there is enough power to propel local industries and enterprises.
Unfortunately, today, many industries of Ghanaian origin are not able to hold their heads above water and have become a debilitating weakness on the economy.
It is in fact worrying that in the face of the ongoing difficulties brought on by the ‘dumsor’ phenomena matters should also thereafter be aggravated by unpredictable fuel increases.
Kerosene, an essential commodity for the rural folk, has become so expensive that life in the villages and towns across the country have become unbearable as the inhabitants live in desolate conditions.
What I recommend is that the country prioritises its development programmes. We could decide that in one year, we would develop the country's roads singularly and use the next year to develop another sector.
The present situation where money available is spread thinly on several areas of the economy is not helping matters well enough.
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Many of the countries of the world that have come by oil have put the resource to the best advantage of their people. For instance, road infrastructure has been improved and housing provided for the people. Though the country came by oil not long ago, we ought to start our improvements little by little.
My brothers and sisters, let us not be coy about it, but the present situation in the country is precarious. Life is hard to put it bluntly.
It is time we woke up to the realities and stopped joking and burying our heads in the sand, as if everything is fine. They definitely are not!