By Michael Foli Jackidy
Ho (V/R), April 16, GNA – Mr James Gunu, the Volta Regional Minister has directed the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), to hold a joint press conference, to provide a clearer explanation on the outages.
He said ECG clients in the Volta Region had complained about the frequent power outages and low voltage challenges, which necessitated a fact-finding mission.
The Regional Minister said the power situation in the region had become very frustrating, impacting not only businesses but also households and even personal relationships.
“This is no longer just a technical issue. People’s livelihoods, businesses, and even marriages are being destroyed because of these power fluctuations. It’s time the public knew exactly what is happening,” Mr Gunu said.
On Tuesday, April 15, the Minister paid an unannounced visit to the ECG Regional Office in Ho and later to GRIDCo’s installation at Akosombo in the Eastern Region to obtain first-hand information about the persistent electricity issues in the region.
At the ECG office, Mr Gunu met with Ms. Christina Jatoe-Kaleo, the Volta Regional General Manager of ECG, as well as the regional engineer and other key staff.
Expressing the frustrations of residents, the Minister criticized the lack of communication and transparency.
“I wrote a letter asking for clarity on the outages, but there was no response. People are angry, appliances are being damaged, and yet, there’s no proper communication from your end. If there are challenges, be open about them. Inform the public. Let people prepare when there will be a planned outage,” he charged.
He further demanded improved public engagement and transparency from ECG, suggesting that if issues exceed their capacity, they must escalate them to their superiors or involve political authorities to help seek solutions.
In response, Ms Jatoe-Kaleo denied allegations of sabotage and clarified that ECG’s challenges primarily stem from supply issues from GRIDCo.
“We don’t benefit from power outages. When the power goes off, we lose revenue too. Most of these problems originate from GRIDCo, which supplies us. If the power they provide is already unstable or of low voltage, there is little we can do to improve the quality at the consumer level,” she explained.
She said unplanned outages usually occurred due to faults, and ECG teams often work overnight, even deep in the bush, to trace and resolve such issues.
However, planned outages like the one expected on April 22, were communicated ahead of time, especially when GRIDCo needs to perform maintenance or system corrections.
Unsatisfied with the explanations from ECG, the Minister and his team proceeded to GRIDCo’s office at Akosombo where he had a telephone discussion with Mr Job Azianku, the Area Manager, because he was.
Mr Azianku acknowledged that GRIDCo was responsible for some of the low voltage and power fluctuations but stated that not all the issues could be solely attributed to them.
“Even when the correct voltage is supplied, problems can still occur at the distribution level,” he noted.
The Minister subsequently ordered both ECG and GRIDCo to hold a joint press conference the following day to explain in detail the causes of the persistent power challenges, what is being done to resolve them, and how long the issues are expected to last.
“We’ve reached a point where silence is no longer an option. The people of Volta Region deserve clarity. ECG and GRIDCo must come together and speak directly to the people. This isn’t just about lights going off – it’s about economic and social stability,” Mr Gunu said.
As part of his visit, the Regional Minister also suggested that GRIDCo established an office at Ho, the regional capital, to avoid the inconvenience of stakeholders having to travel to Akosombo in the Eastern Region for engagements.
“We need a GRIDCo presence here in Ho. It’s not practical to travel all the way to Akosombo every time there’s a need for technical discussions or information,” he added.
The Minister’s intervention has been widely welcomed by residents and business owners, hoping that the joint press conference would finally bring answers and concrete timelines for resolving the region’s power challenges.
GNA
MA/CAA