Minority Disputes Government Claims on Power Sector Debt Clearance, Cites Over $700m Outstanding
The Minority in Parliament has disputed government claims that debts within Ghana’s power sector have been fully cleared, maintaining that considerable arrears remain owed to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and fuel suppliers.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Energy Committee, Collins Adomako-Mensah, indicated that data available to the Minority shows government still owes IPPs more than $500 million, in addition to over $200 million owed to fuel supply firms—figures he said are inconsistent with earlier official pronouncements.
“The Ministry of Finance announced last year that it had settled all outstanding debts to IPPs. Government also pointed to improved financial performance at ECG. However, the information at our disposal shows that over $500 million is still owed to IPPs, and more than $200 million to fuel suppliers,” he noted.
The Minority is therefore calling on the Ministers for Energy and Finance to appear before Parliament to provide a detailed and independently verified account of the sector’s finances. This, they say, should cover revenue mobilisation and expenditure under the energy sector recovery programme, widely known as the dumsor levy.
Adomako-Mensah emphasised the importance of transparency in the administration of the levy, warning that any misuse must be addressed.
“If funds have been collected under the levy but not properly utilised, the Ghanaian public deserves to know. Where there has been any misapplication, those responsible must be held to account,” he stated.
The Minority further disclosed plans to file a Right to Information (RTI) request to obtain comprehensive data on collections and disbursements under the levy.
These developments come against the backdrop of renewed pressure on the country’s electricity supply system following recent disruptions. A fire outbreak at a substation operated by the Ghana Grid Company Limited in Akosombo on April 23, 2026, significantly reduced national generation capacity—estimated between 720 and nearly 1,000 megawatts—necessitating a temporary suspension of electricity exports and triggering emergency recovery efforts.
Energy Minister John Jinapor later confirmed that two of the affected generation units had been restored, while work continues to bring the remaining units back into operation.
A technical committee led by William Amuna has been tasked to probe the cause of the incident, alongside a separate security investigation.
Even before the Akosombo incident, sections of Accra experienced planned outages between April 8 and 17, as the Electricity Company of Ghana undertook maintenance and upgrade works on transformers across several substations, including Adenta, La, Teshie-Nungua and Lashibi.
The combined impact of the scheduled maintenance and the recent disruption has heightened public concern about a possible return of widespread power outages, commonly referred to as dumsor.
The Minority insists it will continue to press for full disclosure when Parliament resumes, stressing that accountability and transparency are essential to rebuilding confidence in the energy sector.
