Energy Analyst, Kojo Poku, has intimated that the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) government deserves credit for ending the intermittent power outages (also known as 'dumsor'), that plagued the country during its tenure.

Speaking on Wednesday, November 24, 2021, during the Super Morning Show, Mr. Poku explained that 'dumsor' is now under control because of measures the party, under the leadership of John Dramani Mahama, put in place before leaving office.

"If you want to give someone credit for solving 'dumsor' it goes to the NDC, because they procured expensive power between 2012 and 2015," he said.

Nonetheless, he blamed the NDC for the nature of power they procured, which the Energy Analyst said is very expensive and cannot be exported, "so, unfortunately, we are having to use it locally and we can't even give it to industry."

Mr. Kojo Poku made these assertions when he contributed to discussions on the state of the energy sector and how to resolve the current challenges, especially the high indebtedness of the government to the Independent Power Producers (IPP).

He also commented on the Energy Sector Recovery Programme (ESRP) which has been instituted to ensure financial sustainability of the state-owned energy utilities (SOEs) and facilitate an efficient and reliable energy sector.

The ESRP is a comprehensive recovery programme identifying the policies and actions needed for financial recovery in the energy sector over a five (year) time horizon (2019-2023). It includes specific timelines and quantified impact assessments for the implementation of Action Items. 

Touching on the state of the ESRP, Mr. Poku expressed doubt that the 2023 deadline would be met due to how government is handling its implementation.

The Energy Analyst noted that renegotiation of contracts under the energy sector is not progressing due to how government is handling Power Purchasing Agreements. He added that the state could be plunged back into the state of 'dumsor' by 2026 if nothing is done about it.