- ECG disconnected power to Ghana’s parliament over an unpaid debt of 23 million Ghanaian cedis.
- During the outage, lawmakers chanted “dumsor, dumsor” in the dark chamber.
Ghana’s state-owned power distributor, ECG, briefly disconnected electricity to Ghana’s parliament building. This happened on Thursday over an unpaid debt of 23 million Ghanaian cedis ($1.8 million).
Lawmakers found themselves in darkness within the parliamentary chamber after the power cut. Chanting “dumsor, dumsor” means blackout in the local Twi language.
ECG’s communications director, William Boateng, stated that the parliament failed to settle outstanding payments. Despite repeated notices, this led to the disconnection.
ECG restored the power supply after an initial payment of 13 million cedis ($1 million) and a commitment to pay the remainder within a week. Despite inquiries, a spokesperson for the parliament declined to comment on the matter.
ECG’s action highlights the pervasive issue of unpaid debts in Ghana’s energy sector, contributing to frequent power outages. Boateng emphasized that ECG practices disconnections for all delinquent customers who neglect to address overdue bills.
Lawmaker Edward Bawa recounted colleagues and staff being stranded in elevators during the outage, underscoring the broader repercussions of the sector’s financial strain.
The Ghanaian government has been actively pursuing power sector reforms and negotiating debt settlements with independent power producers (IPP) amid the nation’s severe economic challenges.
An interim agreement reached with IPPs last year includes warnings of plant closures if the debt issue persists. According to Ghana’s energy regulator, the nation has an installed capacity of 5,454 MW, with 4,483 MW currently operational.