‘There’s No Dumsor In Ghana, Everybody Has Adequate Power’ – Prez Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has assured Ghanaians that the country currently has enough electricity to meet demand, insisting that there is no power crisis, popularly known as dumsor.

He attributed the situation to steps taken by his government to settle outstanding debts owed to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and introduce a payment system to ensure that electricity suppliers are paid promptly.

The President made the remarks during an interaction with members of the Ghanaian community in Moscow, Russia, where he explained that the interventions had helped restore confidence among power producers who had previously threatened to cut supply over unpaid bills.

He disclosed that the government inherited an estimated $1.7 billion debt owed to IPPs when it assumed office. There were also unpaid bills for gas supplied from the Jubilee Field and by ENI.

According to him, clearing the outstanding obligations was necessary to improve the financial position of the energy sector and prevent possible interruptions in electricity supply.

“With regards to energy, I can report that there’s no dumsor in Ghana. Everybody has adequate power. And that’s one of the areas that has been quite dramatic in terms of its management.”

Explaining the steps taken to address the debts owed to power producers, President Mahama said his administration had settled the outstanding IPP debt and was now paying for electricity supplied.

“I’m happy to announce that we have cleared the IPP debt. That is, we are current. Any energy they supply today, we’re paying them,” he said.

President Mahama further explained that a structured payment arrangement had been introduced to address the remaining financial commitments, with initial payments followed by settlements as subsequent obligations become due.

He said the new arrangement had improved the relationship between the government and power producers, who were now satisfied with the payment terms.

Reiterating his position on the country’s electricity situation, the President maintained that Ghana had sufficient power to serve consumers and that measures had been taken to improve the management of the energy sector.