“We Inherited the Power Challenge, But We’re Determined to Address It” – Jinapor

The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, says the current power crisis was inherited by the government, but assured Ghanaians of its commitment to resolve it.

“We inherited the challenge, but we are determined to address it — from the fuel issues to the IPP arrears and other hydro-related problems,” he said at a press briefing on April 27, 2026.

Jinapor assured the public that the government is tackling both immediate disruptions and long-term weaknesses within the ECG and NEDCo operational areas.

He explained that the crisis stems from years of underinvestment in the distribution segment of the power system.

“Many of our transformers are obsolete and overstretched due to increasing demand and years of underinvestment. In about 10 years, demand has more than doubled. What this means is that we have to significantly increase investment in the sector,” he said.

“Due to underinvestment over the years, we now face overloads, low voltages, and recurring outages. Government is addressing this issue head-on by implementing a nationwide transformer upgrade and replacement programme.”

Immediate Interventions Underway
As an immediate intervention, he said almost 200 transformers have been installed this month, with another 140 expected to be deployed this week.

“In all, we seek to deploy 2,500 transformers to improve supply reliability and voltage stability. To improve these voltages, high-capacity transformers are being deployed at key primary supply stations. We have done Adenta, Lashibi, and Teshie-Nungua,” he noted.

The operation will move to the Ashanti Region by the close of the week.

“By the close of this week, we will move to Kumasi to tackle the Ridge Primary Substation, and we are moving away from 20kV to about 30kV,” he added.

In addition, engineers will also begin work on distribution lines this week.

The Minister further announced plans for Cenit Energy Limited to airlift a critical component to Kumasi to strengthen the generation network in partnership with GRIDCo.

Meanwhile, he said the Ghana Grid Company is also preparing to commence critical transmission reinforcement works in Kumasi in June.

Story by Hajara Fuseini

Click to read more: https://opemsuo.com/author/hajara-fuseini/