Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, has assured Ghanaians of transparency and regular updates as the country continues to grapple with electricity supply challenges following the recent disruption at the Akosombo Hydroelectric Power Station.

Addressing the press on Monday, April 27, the Minister stressed the government’s commitment to honesty in communicating the state of the power sector, insisting that authorities will not downplay the impact of the incident.

“We will not shirk responsibility. We will not deceive you. We will not live in denial—when we face challenges, we will tell Ghanaians,” he said.

His remarks come amid growing public concern over a possible return to prolonged power outages, popularly referred to as “dumsor”, following disruptions triggered by the fire incident at the Akosombo substation.

Mr Jinapor disclosed that he has directed the Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to provide timely and regular updates on areas affected by outages. He explained that the directive was given after consultations with President John Dramani Mahama, who emphasised the need for continuous public communication on developments in the power sector.

He acknowledged that the incident has created a supply gap that will affect parts of the country, but noted that the situation remains fluid, making it difficult to publish fixed load-shedding schedules.

“This is not like the regular load shedding, where you can predict outages over a period. Engineers are working around the clock to restore all plants back online within the shortest possible time,” he said.

According to him, ECG, in collaboration with the Ministry of Information, has begun issuing regional updates to keep the public informed. He added that outage schedules are currently being released in short intervals due to rapidly changing conditions within the power system.

He cited an example where a previously issued schedule had to be revised following the injection of about 140 megawatts from another generating plant.

“We can only provide updates over very short intervals because the situation keeps changing,” he explained.

The Minister further emphasised that while citizens expect a stable electricity supply, they also deserve clear communication when genuine challenges arise.

“This situation is not due to policy failure or inaction. We will be honest with you, and we will also tell you what we are doing to address it,” he assured.

He also noted that such disruptions are not entirely avoidable, even in advanced economies, stressing that the key factors remain the speed, coordination and honesty of the response to such challenges.