Energy Minister, John Peter Amewu says he has directed agencies in the power sector to put out regular announcements to residents in areas which will be affected by power outages over the next nine days.
His comments follow his apology to Ghanaians over the recent power cuts which have been blamed on a tie-in of the country’s gas infrastructure in the Western Region.
Many have demanded a load shedding timetable to enable people in the affected areas to plan their domestic and business activities.
Speaking at the Economic Management Team’s Town hall meeting on Wednesday, the Energy Minister said the sector agencies must make Ghanaians aware of their power schedule until normalcy is restored on April 12, 2019.
“We have directed the various agencies to provide information to areas that will not have light. It is also important to know that some of these agencies have their own internal mechanisms. For instance, I am told in the Ashanti Region most of these areas have already been informed prior to the shutdown. I am quite surprised why some of the areas are not receiving such information in Accra.”
The Minister also apologized to Ghanaians for the recent blackouts in parts of the country.
Although the Minister would not admit that the outages were an indication of the return of the dreaded ‘dumsor’, he said plans are far advanced to resolve the energy challenges facing the country.
While answering a question on the erratic power supply at a Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, Mr. Amewu assured the citizenry of relief soon saying the power situation will be normalized within the shortest possible period.
“First of all, we want to apologize to Ghanaians for this intermittent supply. We are never back to the era of consistent and persistent shortfall in supply. We are in an era where we have installed capacity available but what we have to do is to change that installed capacity into availability.
“We are learning from our experience so Ghanaians, we are sorry. This short period is just intermittent. I promise you that from 12th April, you will continue to enjoy sustainable use of your power.”
The Energy Ministry insisted that the recent challenges have nothing to do with financial problems or mismanagement.
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By: Marian Ansah| citinewsroom.com| Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah
