President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated that although he inherited Dumsor as a President, his government has worked hard to put the lights on.
“It is worth emphasizing that I inherited a nation plagued by dumsor, but I am very happy to say that I leave office in 2025 with the lights on,” he stated.
He said this while delivering the last State of the Nation Address (SONA), on January 3, 2025.
According to the President, Ghana has made significant progress in expanding electricity access, with electricity access rate increased to eighty-eight-point-eight five percent (88.85%), up from the 79.3% he inherited.
In renewable energy, he said completed projects such as a four-megawatt (4MW) floating solar PV at Bui and a fifteen megawatt (15MW) solar PV at Kaleo, together with a one hundred megawatt (100MW) solar PV under construction at Bui and a mini-grid Electrification Programme in Ada East have advanced efforts to reach the ten percent (10%) renewable energy target by 2030.
He said the above achievement did not come without its challenges.
Akufo noted that when his administration assumed office, it inherited an energy sector legacy debt of two-point-five billion dollars ($2.5 billion).
“The Energy Sector Recovery Programme (ESRP), developed by Government and the World Bank, projected that this debt would balloon to a staggering twelve-point-five billion ($12.5 billion) within five (5) years, if no decisive actions were taken. We knew that such a scenario would cripple the sector, undermine investor confidence, and plunge the nation back into darkness,” he stated.
He said despite the challenges, his government got to work immediately.
“Through tough negotiations with Independent Power Producers (IPPs), prudent financial management, and targeted interventions, we have been able to stabilise the sector, while keeping the lights on. I am pleased to report that we have kept the energy sector legacy debt at two-point-five billion ($2.5 billion), the same level we inherited, and have averted the twelve-point five billion dollar (US$12.5 billion) debt scenario, despite the rising cost of energy production, and the global economic challenges that have unfolded during my tenure,” he added.
Again, he said, “The energy sector has truly been transformed, and I am leaving office confident that the foundations we have laid will serve this nation well for generations to come.”
