Following the devastating fire at the Akosombo Power Control Centre that has partly affected power supply in some parts of the country, the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, has ordered the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), Ing. Mark Awuah Baah, to step aside pending a full investigation into the incident.

There has also been a major shake-up in the leadership of the ECG in the Ashanti Region. This was announced by the Minister of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, in a Facebook post on Sunday, April 26.

This comes days after several parts of the country experienced a blackout. Other parts of the country have also complained about intermittent power cuts, which the ECG leadership and the President said were a result of an upgrade to boost power supply and stability.

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The shake-up follows a fire outbreak on Thursday, April 23, which gutted part of the Akosombo substation switchyard, disrupting transmission and affecting a key section of the country’s power infrastructure.

GRIDCo confirmed that the incident occurred at about 2:01 p.m., triggering emergency shutdowns and forcing engineers to isolate sections of the national grid. The fire is estimated to have knocked out between 720 megawatts and 1,000 megawatts of transmission capacity linked to the dam, one of Ghana’s most critical electricity generation assets.

The Ministry of Energy and Green Transition has admitted that full restoration of power generation at the Akosombo Dam could take up to five days following the fire, as engineers work to stabilise affected systems and restore normal operations.

In light of these developments, John Jinapor has announced that he will hold a major press briefing at 2:00 PM on Monday, April 27, to provide further updates on the recent issues in the electricity sector, including the Akosombo fire and the leadership changes at GRIDCo and ECG.

The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) acts as the central link in Ghana's energy value chain by operating and maintaining the National Interconnected Transmission System (NITS). It transmits power from generators to distributors (ECG/NEDCo) and large customers, facilitating a safe, reliable electricity supply across Ghana.

Ing. Mark Awuah Baah has been the acting Chief Executive of the Ghana Grid Company Ltd (GRIDCo) since his appointment to this role in February 2025, bringing over 28 years of experience in the power sector, including roles in system dispatch, planning, and corporate strategy.