Mahama hints at pursuing ECG privatization to enhance power distribution
Mahama hints at pursuing ECG privatization to enhance power distribution
Ghana’s President, Mr. John Dramani Mahama has hinted his administration will pursue the privatization of the nation’s power distributor, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) as part of attempts to solve inefficiencies in the country’s power distribution system.
According to him before his administration left office in 2017, there was a road map to enhance the country’s power distribution which the Akufo Addo-led government abandoned when they took the reins of power.
“If we don’t fix the Electricity Company of Ghana, we will continue to have a major problem with our whole power value chain. So, going ahead with privatising the last point of electricity distribution, bringing in private sector efficiency is something that we want to take up again. We want to speak with the World Bank to get the expertise to be able to do that,” Prez Mahama reiterated.
The President believes that integrating the private sector into ECG management will assist in addressing long-standing issues like operational inefficiencies, financial mismanagement, and inadequate service delivery.
During a meeting with a World Bank group on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at his private office in Accra, Mahama stated that privatization might be part of a larger strategy to modernize and improve the energy sector’s performance.
Reflecting on Ghana’s involvement in the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact while serving as Vice President, Mahama underlined the need for efficient energy distribution in accomplishing the country’s development objectives.
He emphasized that any privatization efforts will prioritize establishing a sustainable energy sector capable of satisfying Ghana’s expanding economic demands.
Mahama also promised stakeholders that choices about the future of ECG will be made after rigorous consultations to balance public interest with the requirement for increased performance.
