Lawyer and Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has called for a rethink of government’s spending priorities amid recurring nationwide power outages.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, August 22, Mr Bentil said Ghana has the technical expertise and resources needed to address the challenges within the electricity system but questioned why the necessary interventions have not been prioritised.

Mr Bentil questioned the rationale behind spending heavily to demolish existing markets and construct new ones while other critical infrastructure needs remain unresolved.

“I worry about how we are prioritising expenditure in this economy right now,” he said.

He argued that government should focus on strengthening existing infrastructure and addressing urgent gaps in essential services before committing significant resources to projects that could be deferred.

According to him, the problems affecting the power sector are known, as are the solutions, equipment and associated costs required to resolve them.

“We know all the problems. We know what the solutions are. We know where to buy the equipment. We know how much they cost,” he said.

He therefore challenged the government to commit the necessary resources to close the gaps within the power system, stressing that the consequences of prolonged outages could be severe.

Mr Bentil cited the recent outage around the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital as particularly concerning, warning that power disruptions at critical health facilities could put lives at risk. “When the lights went off around Korle Bu, immediately I was like, ‘Oh my God, somebody may die.’ And that one, you can’t get him back,” he said.

He acknowledged that accidents such as equipment failures can occur but questioned why repairs and preventive measures are not being sustained after such incidents.

Mr Bentil said Ghanaian engineers have the capacity to resolve the challenges if leadership provides the necessary support and resources.

“We are capable. Our leadership should put together what is necessary, and let’s fix these problems because they are fixable,” he stated.

For Mr Bentil, resolving the power sector’s technical challenges should be treated as a priority because reliable electricity is essential to protecting lives, supporting businesses and making the country’s economic ambitions achievable.