An energy expert, Dr Charles Wereko Brobbey, has branded the workers of Volta River Authority (VRA) as lazy and unwilling to go the extra mile to increase productivity. The former Chief Executive Officer of the Authority stated: “When I came to VRA, I noticed that workers are not giving their best. They come to work at 9:00am, break for lunch at 1:00pm and close at 4:00. My effort to deal with the chronic habit at the VRA was short-lived as they maneuvered to get me kicked out so that they can continue with their bad custom.” His comments came at a time when the country is struggling to meet local energy demand, amidst constant power outages and load-shedding exercises. Speaking at the Turkson Memorial Lecture at the University of Ghana recently, Dr Brobbey lamented that after 30 years of incessant increment of tariffs, VRA still goes back to allude to lack of tariffs whenever its efficiency is questioned. “It is very pathetic to note that, when you go to the VRA website, the only thing you will see is water level. Issues pertaining to production, resources and distribution don’t are not available,” he stated, adding that, because of VRA’s quest to always be on top, its doors are always closed to both private investors, who are willing to invest in the company. Dr. Brobbey advised government to abandon completely the idea of making Ghana a net exporter of power in the near-future and focus on meeting domestic demand. “Where from all these things about becoming a net exporter of power? It is irrelevant, it is diversionary, and is taking us away from the fundamental detail,” he said. “The first time I heard Dr. Joe Oteng-Adjei (former Energy Minister) talk about it, I called him up and said don’t say this thing, you don’t have enough energy...It should never be part of our discussion, especially when we cannot meet the energy needs of our country,” he stressed.